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Journal Week 15: 1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience?
This week I was unfortunately out of class, but I have been having many new sensations this week that I’d love to reflect on in this week’s journal. I have been learning about how the body reacts to changes and how taking care of it properly and safely is important for sustainability. This week I have been able to talk, vent, and address things that have been bottled up for many
years. I have felt a physical sensation of release and freedom that is new. A major concept that was discussed was how we prioritize ourselves over everything else. There is nothing more important than our health and we only have one life. Recently, I’ve been feeling significantly better. Everything takes less energy than before, and I can focus on things much easier. There is much more work to be done to feel 100% again, and I am looking forward to that feeling. Another major concept from this week was the idea of giving yourself grace and not needing to be perfect all the time. We are all just humans and nothing is ever perfect. I feel much more at ease with myself and allows me to see things from a more long-term perspective. Now, I have more time to relax and focus on what’s important, and that has been a revitalizing experience that has long been needed. 2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you?
An area of familiarity for me this week was talking about how mental and physical health are tied
together. I have been learning about that for the past several weeks, and this week has opened my eyes even more to how we can make positive changes to our physical well-being by being aware of our mental health. We’ve talked about this in class before and the effects of taking care of the body can be holistically applied to all aspects of life. These connections make it easier to accomplish all the goals I have for myself moving forward. An area of newness for me this week was being in a hospital. I have an incredible team of people to keep me company and provide ways to get better as soon as possible. I have always been an independent person who likes to do everything themselves, but by losing control, I have been able to give myself grace to
be imperfect. Another area of newness for me this week was not stressing about school 24/7. Obviously, I still want to be diligent and do as much as I can, but I have allowed myself to not stress about getting everything done right now. Life goes on if I turn something in late or miss a lecture. This week has been full of new adventures but also has built off what I’ve been working on for the past several weeks. 3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
Since this is the final full week of class of this semester, I have some more holistic goals that I want to work on for this course. The first goal I have is to reflect upon all the skills we’ve learned
throughout the semester. We have been performing our series of exercises all semester with minor adjustments, so I wanted to take this final week to delve into all the small details of why we are doing these movements. I took time this week to think about the meaning behind the movements and the reasoning that our body needs to warm up certain regions of the body. I am
making an active effort to reflect on the readings of the spine, shoulders, legs, ankles, etc. from the previous 14 weeks. This includes the sensations that I felt, the images I drew and investigated, and the descriptions given. Overall that goal sums up to extracting everything out of those exercises and keeping them in my back pocket as I move forward with my modern technique classes, because I have learned a lot about my body connections through them. I want to use the academic knowledge and anatomical awareness that we’ve learned and directly
apply it to my performances and in-class exercises when I return to classes. Another major goal for me this week is to work from a distance and still learn more about Modern dance. Lastly, a goal for this week was to take a break. I have been doing exactly that, and it has been a great experience. I miss seeing my peers and I miss dancing, but there are things that need to be done before I can do that (and I am looking forward to it). 4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise that I want to review for this week is something that we have been working on throughout the semester, but as the semester is ending, I’ve realized I haven’t gotten to review it
yet. This would be the classic heel rock exercise that initiates most of our class periods. I am going to attempt to think about the images of some of the thoughts that come to mind when I think about this exercise. To me, I use this brief 1–2-minute warmup to think about the connection from the tips of my metatarsal to the last fingertip reaching out. The first time I did this exercise was several months ago, I felt timid and unsure of how to find that freedom undulating through my body. As we have worked on this for the past 15 weeks, I have felt differences in how I perform and approach thinking about the mechanics of the exercise (and what the true purpose is). I start by closing my eyes and slowly rocking my heels naturally as I take deep breaths in and out through my nose and mouth. I let this isolated movement of the sternum and rib cage carry through from my pinky toe all the way to the top of my head. I think of it as throwing something into a lake and watching the ripple transverse like a wave. I try to imagine that my head and jaw are completely released in a natural position, free of any tension I’m currently placing there. As we work on targeting the body diagonally by rocking one heel and
reaching through the opposite arm, I imagine the motion as a diagonal line shooting across the body. The energy is reaching out to my toes and fingertips. I think about reaching through my fingers to the person behind me while non-locomotive motion engages the rest of my body. Once we do the other diagonal and return to full-body rocks, I stay in the mindset that my body is broken into two diagonals that are reaching out synchronously. Thinking of it in this way has brought attention to the energy in my legs and arms and has allowed me to see the purpose in a
small isometric movement to start any class. Over time, this will become even easier, but understanding how to approach this exercise has allowed me to investigate how my body feels when it is fully relaxed. I want to continue to explore how I can unlock more movement by releasing tension throughout the strained parts of my body.
5
. Cross Training Log:
A.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
B.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
A.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to continue the mixture of nutritional and mental health meetings with professionals as well as resting as much as possible. This will take place in my hospital room. B.
I followed through with my initial plan. I met up with a nutritionist counselor each day who
is associated with UK. He was very knowledgeable about young athletes and how they can better fuel their bodies efficiently. The first meeting made me intimidated, but the atmosphere was non-judgmental and inviting, so I was able to open more without feeling
nervous about being embarrassed. We discussed a meal plan that I can follow to make the improvements I need for my health to feel better as soon as possible. After the meetings, I was provided with many suggestions for how to proceed to build a broader support system with different types of professionals. This is specifically targeting my goal
of improved mental and physical health. I am starting on a journey of feeling stronger in my daily activities as well as dance classes, and I am starting to feel fuller of energy and more alert every day. Each meeting lasts around an hour and happens in the UK Hospital on campus. The atmosphere was comfortable to me, so I was able to be honest
about everything. These meetings checked in on how I was following my plans and gave
me daily goals. After the meeting, I was provided with many suggestions for how to take extra care of myself as finals start approaching. Although this was an avant-garde style of cross-training activity this week, it’s just as helpful to my body as my other activity—
resting. This is done every day in my room. I felt a release from this exercise, and it was well needed. This targets my goal of being aware of the limits of my body. This can be applied to my dance practice because we tend to push our bodies farther than needed leading to negative consequences. Moving forward I want to incorporate more of this into
my daily life so that I can be a stronger dancer, student, and human being.
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Journal Week 14:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? This week was more abnormal than usual with the Thanksgiving break. I was unable to attend class on that Monday as well due to a student health appointment, so I will take
this opportunity to reflect on the work I did outside of class. Since I missed class, I held myself accountable for working on my exercises outside of class with a classmate. I worked through all our typical warmup exercises, starting with the heel rocks and the X exercise. With my classmate, we discussed how we could differentiate between each section of the exercise with specificity and precision. I had found myself going through the motions but taking time to break down the mechanics and purpose behind all the parts, I found a deeper connection to my body movements. I specifically spent time working on my core distal. I used this time with a partner to
help correct the alignment in my spine and work on balance on my side without releasing the rib
cage. I also tried to visualize how my legs and ankles were playing a role in all the warmup exercises since that is what our readings have been targeting. By doing this, I had a physical sensation of coordination throughout my entire body, and I also found that it was easier to move
from section to section. By visualizing how to be efficient with my movements, everything seemed to come more naturally to me. I also worked on the choreography that we had begun learning in class the previous week. I worked on refining the small details so that I could start adding more speed and flow to the phrase. Me and my partner discussed each section part by part so that we could find clarity for ourselves before attempting to speed up the tempo. This made me feel physically stronger in my movements because I knew what was coming next and wasn't spending extra time following or thinking about what I was doing. The concept of pushing
myself out of my comfort zone with choreography was discussed during this outside exploration.
I was more willing to try new things when I felt no one was watching, so that gave me a sensation of strength. Although I missed being in class working with all my friends, I enjoyed having a more personalized exploration that allowed me to take extra time to consider my specific needs and explore concepts from previous classes that could be applied to everything I do.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was working more independently on new choreography. It was helpful to have a classmate who knew all the steps there with me to make sure that I stayed focused and knew what to do. Taking time for independent study can be beneficial as a dancer because you can take more time to work on areas of weakness for yourself. This can be a useful skill because there is not always time in a technique class to break everything down thoroughly due to time constraints and the number of individual needs. I know where I need to improve, so working with a partner one-on-one was a new experience for this class, but I found it beneficial and fun. This corresponded with moments from my jazz class this week since we had a practical exam on Monday. To prepare for this, I had to work extensively outside of class on the combinations so that I would feel prepared. Breaking steps down individually, slowing things down, and self-correcting are all common themes that I will continue to use in my dance practice. Another area of newness for me this week was working
on steps that are still not familiar to me, such as Irish dance and tap dance-influenced steps. I am becoming more confident with these things, but I must focus more on the mechanics of executing these steps. This is common in many classes, both academic and dance related. To grow, we must learn new things, so it is useful to practice repetition for things that are unfamiliar. An area of familiarity for me this week was the incorporation of floorwork in the new choreography. We do a back roll and fouetté, which are both aspects of previous practical exams that I was able to build on. Although we are using the steps in new ways, the fundamentals are the same, so it’s a useful skill to be able to apply previous knowledge to something fresh. Adapting to new scenarios was another area of familiarity. Working around unforeseen circumstances and finding new ways to make sure progress is still being made is important. I wasn’t planning on being out of class, but I ensured that I was accountable for my responsibilities as a student. This is useful in all aspects of life, and it is a practice that I am familiar with.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this week was to focus on self-assessment and accountability. By taking time to review and improve upon my technique, I was able to make more progress than I would’ve if I hadn’t. I want to work on knowing where my areas of improvement are so that I can
specifically target them in and out of class. It takes extra effort on my part, but it is always worth it to be accountable for yourself. Another goal for this week was to work on breaking down movements efficiently without glossing over small transitions and details that make dance more interesting. I often let myself slack in some areas, especially if I must move quickly on my feet. To do this, I took a decent amount of time asking questions to a peer and repeating sections of choreography time and time again until it felt natural. This goes into another goal of improving fluidity and confidence in my phrasing. Joining all the separate sections together into a seamless phrase comes from being confident in the next movement and knowing how and where my body is headed. I want to target the choppiness of my movements and work on becoming more artistic rather than purely technical. One other goal for this week was to work on
strengthening my legs. With the exercises that I worked on outside of class, including the developpe exercise, the lunge strengthening exercise, and the choreography, I was working on engaging my quadriceps and focusing on the alignment of the ankle to remain balanced. To work on this, I had to do further strengthening exercises for myself throughout the week so that I
could build up strength. This included many lunges, stretches, and repetitions of endurance exercises. I am always working on being a stronger dancer, but these goals this week are to help me be a stronger and
more artistic dancer.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise from this week that I want to investigate is the new choreographic phrase that we learned in Week 13. I found this phrase engaging to learn and perform because it was a fusion of vernacular that I was both familiar with and unfamiliar with. Some sections were heavily influenced by Irish dance with the port de bras and footwork, while other sections incorporated the rhythmic sounds of a tap step. The beginning of the phrase works on small and large jumps
that change direction quickly. This led to a new step sequence that has multiple taps and shuffles that are intricately coordinated. This step was difficult to learn at first because I wanted to resort to a frappe motion rather than a shuffle. This section led into a traveling three-step turn that went into a turned-in pirouette that was abnormal for me. My knee was struggling to stay connected to the other knee, in contrast to a typical jazz turn with the toe connected to the supporting knee. The next section went into a heel slide and a dropped turn. Finding a point of focus on the ground and fully committing to dropping my torso was scary at first. That release helped the movement flow easier over time and made it more efficient to enter the next section. I took a long time practicing the fluid spin to the floor into a roll. The motion of getting up and down from the ground quickly was challenging, but we have been working on that in previous exercises, so I was more familiar with the mechanics. Being committed to the movement and not doubting myself was key to this section. The roll was fun to work on because I enjoyed the seamlessness of the steps. Getting into the fouetté afterward was challenging and required core
and quad strength to recover. I had to work those muscles to perform this sequence with more ease. The last section that we learned had a tap dance-inspired shuffle step that worked on rhythm. I tried finding the beats in my feet and breaking down all the parts. By relaxing my ankles and counting in my head, I was able to make progress on this step. Overall, this was a fun exploration outside of class, and I learned some new steps and transitions that were exciting
to build upon.
5
. Cross Training Log:
C.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
D.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
C.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to do a strength training exercise at home on Monday when I got home for break. I had all of Tuesday off, so I went home early. Luckily, we have a home gym with equipment for me to continue my exercises. I plan to do this at night from around 6-7 PM. D.
I followed through with my initial plan. I had a one-hour session in my home gym from 6 to 7 PM on Monday with my mom when she got off work. She has been doing weight training for several years, so she provided new suggestions for exercises to try. We used
the small weights to amplify the exercises that we were performing. During the activity, I felt supported in my arms, but my legs have been feeling fatigued all week. My mom was
encouraging me to push through and work on new movements that felt new. I have some areas of weakness in my ankles that were making it difficult to do some of the rises and jumps that we were doing, so I made sure to take it easy when I had to. After the workout, I felt my muscles tightening, so I made sure to stretch immediately after to minimize pain the next day. I used a TheraBand and a YouTube video to guide our cooldown. Overall, I made sure to take breaks when needed while also working to push myself. My arms weren’t as sore as expected, but it was more in my quads and core. This supports my goal of rebuilding the lower body strength in my legs. Dance always uses both upper and lower body strength, so strengthening as many of them as possible
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makes fluidity easier and ensures that I can perform phrases more efficiently. Also, weight training targets several muscle groups at once, so it’s an easy way to get a full-
body workout. I find balance easier when the full body is strong. I will continue to work on this exercise as well as my mental health meetings throughout the final weeks of the semester!
Journal Week 13:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? I was out of town this weekend and missed the Monday class session, so I was only able to participate in the Wednesday class for the 13
th
week of classes. This week we discussed a lot of concepts that correlated with our most recent readings that we’ve been doing about the anatomy and function of the leg and ankle muscles. We worked on stretches that are efficient for our legs and targeted the iliopsoas specifically. This felt amazing, since I have been having some soreness in my legs recently. I found some new stretches that help reach the areas that I haven’t been able to reach before, such as the leg extended in the air while “sickling” my foot. I did not have much knowledge about these areas of my body, so discussing the specific muscles and bones that are engaged and targeted in certain exercises and motions was helpful. I experienced a deeper understanding of my body and how it is supported. I experienced some soreness and weakness in my legs during this week because I feel that I lack
lower body strength now. By discussing how to efficiently move and release tension in our lower
bodies, I felt less pain and stiffness. Another physical sensation I felt this week in class was an increase in energy. We have been discussing the importance of doing combinations correctly the first time and marking combinations as we learn them. By devoting more energy to the first attempt, I was less drained by repeatedly doing the same thing over and over. We make more progress by doing things properly the first time. Lastly, in class, we reviewed new choreography that incorporates lots of concepts from previous practical exams and phrases. We have floorwork and fouettés, and now we’re incorporating some Irish dance vernacular. I felt fatigued because I needed to improve my stamina with all the small jumps and swift movements. The concept of learning new choreography at a fast pace to work on retention was also discussed, and it is applicable to the real world when we are asked to perform a phrase in an audition that could be full of steps that are new. 2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was visualizing the support system in my ankles and legs. I have been completing my readings about the legs and ankles, which contrasts with the focus I’ve been having on my spinal alignment and the mechanisms of my core muscles, as well as the shoulder readings from several weeks ago. I had been neglecting to think about how modern dance uses the legs and ankles in different ways than other genres. Learning about all the small bones and ligaments in the ankles has corresponded with my jazz classes this week as well. We are working on isolations in the ankles and the alignment of our legs and ankles for our new African-influenced warm-up. Understanding how to strengthen and protect my body from the ankles and legs has been useful in my dance practice for moving efficiently. The discussions and readings from this week have been useful to me in both modern
and jazz because they allow me to better articulate and activate areas of my lower body that are
ignored sometimes. An area of familiarity for me this week was the use of uneven counting rhythms. In modern class, we have been continuing to work on cognitive exercises that require focus on counting. We have been adding onto a tendu combination in seven as well as traveling
combinations in five. This concept of rhythmic changes and syncopation has coincided heavily with jazz class this week. We have been researching the African roots of jazz dance as well as exploring a warmup exercise that utilizes traditional African movements. The music is often mixed with polyrhythms. Our practices in modern dance class have prepared me to follow the flow of the music and focus on the inner beats of the music. It has been useful to practice the act of focusing on counts while simultaneously performing intricate movements. This helps me grow as a stronger thinker and dancer. Another area of newness for me this week was the Irish-
inspired phrase that we were learning. I am unfamiliar with many of the steps, but I appreciated the opportunity to learn them. There are some new jumps, arms, and rolls that I was able to learn. There was also a step that is like a tap-dancing step that was difficult to grasp at first, but with practice, I felt better about my execution.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this week was to actively think about how I can better protect my ankles and legs from degradation, as well as explore personal ways that I can grow strength in weak areas. I have noticed some weakness in these areas, and to ensure I am safely dancing, I wanted to use what I learned in the readings and exercises to help visualize and improve my knowledge of how the full body is connected. To achieve this goal, I work on strengthening exercises outside of class as well as focusing on how I can incorporate my knowledge during in-
class choreography. I have been using a TheraBand outside of class to strengthen my ankles, and I have been practicing the sequence of leg exercises and stretches that we learned in last week’s warm-up. Combining images with text has allowed me to work on body visualization as I work on exercises and perform choreography. Another goal for this week was to work on my in-
class focus. As the semester is winding to a close, I am starting to feel the pressures of the end of the year. I want to work on blocking out any stressors while I am in dance class. I am attending to this goal but focusing on the teacher more intently and leaving all my problems at the door. I want to use dance as a release this week and let myself feel freer. Lastly, a goal for this class this week is to work on my self-confidence. I have grown so much this semester, and I
am now at the home stretch. I want to take these last couple classes as a group to fully release my inhibitions and apprehensions and fully move. To achieve this goal, I was focusing on our caring, supportive community that we have built over the past 13 weeks. We are all there to support one another, so I want to feel comfortable letting loose and making mistakes. I am always working on this goal, but hitting this milestone in the year has brought to my attention that I need to take every opportunity to explore my capabilities fully and not hold myself back. I also had the goal of picking up new choreography quickly, even if the steps were unfamiliar. Pushing my boundaries is a constant goal, but it was applicable to the new choreography this week (which was fun to learn)!
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise from this week that I want to investigate is the new Developpe exercise that we have been working on. This new version of the combination targets several different areas of the legs that we have been learning about in the readings. It also focuses on ankle alignment
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with the rest of the body to promote balance on one leg. This combination works better with new
port de bras than before and allows motion of the head, neck, and spine. The beginning of the exercise allows me to find the general alignment of my body and start to shift my body weight onto the supporting leg. I was specifically interested in the section of the combination that allows
us to contract over in the spine while supporting the working leg in a coupe position. This required me to focus on the core strength and alignment of my body over the plum line running through my ankle and leg. When I practiced this motion at home, I felt some wobble in my ankle at first, but by engaging my core, I found support in my ankle. In the side developpe that followed that section, I was focusing on my rotators in my pelvis. A target area was the port de bras we used to recover from the position into a turned-in passe. It was challenging to stay in balance while my upper body was unaligned and realigned. I had to work several times outside of class on recovering to proper alignment without shifting my ankles. I used my new knowledge
of the ankles to visualize the weight distribution between my metatarsals. Finally, the back developpe section was the most challenging for me. It worked in a lateral position with a bent leg in the back. This targeted the quadriceps that we’ve learned about, and this position required me to engage my muscles in several areas. I practiced holding this position at home to find the balance, and it was helpful to find an immediate micro bend in my supporting leg to allow for more mobility in the working leg as I recovered. Overall, this exercise worked the core, the shoulders, the legs, and the ankles all at once. It was a full-body workout, and I want to continue exploring how I can efficiently perform the sequence in each of the different positions.
5
. Cross Training Log:
E.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
F.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
E.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to do a continue my mixture nutritional health meetings with a counselor as well as continuing to do some light strength-training that I had been working on a couple weeks ago. I plan to have a meeting with my new counselor on Monday from 3-4 PM in the Student Health Building, and I plan to do a personal weight-training session in my dorm common area with my sister. We plan to do this on Tuesday from 5-5:30. F.
I followed through with my initial plan. I met up with a new nutritionist counselor who is associated with the UK. He was very knowledgeable about young athletes and how they can better fuel their bodies efficiently. Since this was our first meeting, I was intimidated at first. This meeting was on the third floor of the building connecting to the Student Health building and lasted a little over an hour because I was also able to check in with the mental health counselor that I have met with a few times before. The atmosphere was non-judgmental and inviting, so I was able to open more without feeling nervous about being embarrassed. This first meeting has laid out a fundamental plan for how I can start implementing small changes to my diet that will give me more energy. After the meeting, I was provided with many suggestions for how to proceed, as well as advice to continue these meetings for the time being so that I can build a broader support system
with professionals on campus. This is specifically targeting my goal of improved mental and physical health. I am starting on a journey of feeling stronger in my daily activities as
well as dance classes, and I am starting to feel fuller of energy and more alert. Although this was a different style of cross-training activity this week, I think it might have been as beneficial as my second activity of the week—strength straining. I had a 30-minute session in my dorm from 5 to 5:30 on Tuesday with my sister, who is visiting. She has been doing weight training for several years, so she provided new suggestions for exercises to try. We used the small weights to amplify the exercises that we were performing. During the activity, I felt strong, and my sister was encouraging me to push through when I wanted to quit. I have some areas of weakness in my ankles that were making it difficult to do some of the rises and jumps that we were doing. After the workout, I felt my muscles were already getting sore, so I made sure to stretch immediately after to minimize pain the next day. I made sure to take breaks when needed while also working to push myself. My arms weren’t as sore as expected, but it was more in my quads and core. This is supporting my goal of rebuilding some of the muscles in my arms and legs that I have been slacking on. Dance can use any muscle at any point in time, so strengthening as many of them as possible makes mobility easier
and ensures that I can perform any step or sequence that is thrown my way. Also, weight training targets all parts of the body and works regions that are not used in some of my dance and daily activities. I find myself feeling more even and balanced when I am
using all body parts rather than overutilizing the main muscles that we focus on in class. I will continue to work on both cross-training exercises moving forward, as the semester is ending.
Journal Week 12:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the twelfth week of classes, we had only one in-class dance session due to the one-on-one meetings. I think that these meetings were extremely important to have at this point in the semester. The purpose is to discuss the goals that we have for moving forward in this class as we progress into next semester (which is closer than I thought), as well as the progress that has been made and where we want to be by the conclusion of the year. During our in-class session on Wednesday, I found it helpful to have several minutes to self-reflect on what we have accomplished as well as target areas for growth. Talking as a class with partners allows me to better self-reflect on what I want to focus my effort on moving forward as far as my personal growth goals. I also felt assured that this year has allowed me to grow as a modern dancer, and I appreciate the check-in opportunity in class since we all have busy schedules. Any moments of check-in or journal reflections give me a feeling of motivation to push forward to the end of the semester and focus on myself as I continue to become stronger. During Wednesday’s class, we danced, and we discussed our cross-training project. We talked about how goals have been achieved, what we have grown, where we want to continue investigating, and what has been helpful or unhelpful in our practices. I enjoyed this moment of reflection and hearing what my peers have been working on and growing in. Seeing how my peers have tried different activities than me and have different goals was interesting and opened avenues of thought for what I could work on next semester. Our in-class combinations targeted quadriceps strength and stretching. We talked about proper ways of stretching without sinking into our ligaments for support. Physically, I felt more supported by using my muscles rather than tendons to hold my body weight, but I had to engage more of my muscles to compensate for that. I felt shaky and unsteady at first in some of the balancing exercises, but that lets me know that I need to build up more strength in those areas. Another major concept that we are working on is the use of five- and seven-count phrases. I was working to not be apprehensive with the steps and focusing on the sequence with the counts. Finally, one concept that we discussed was putting all our effort into a combination for the first time. By using fun music, I felt more motivated to let loose and have more energy. It’s counterintuitive but doing an exercise several times is harder than doing it once with our full focus and attention. I felt physically motivated by upbeat music, and I thrived on the vibe of the class. I want to continue to explore the idea of doing combinations for the first time.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of familiarity for me this week was the act of self-reflection. I have been doing this a lot recently because of the proximity to the end of the semester as well as the conclusion of many midterm performances. I have had time to review what needs to be done moving forward, as well as acknowledge my successes. In all my technique classes this week, I have had the opportunity to reflect on myself throughout the year, and these opportunities have been extremely useful in my dance practice. It is useful to know what can be done to make us
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stronger and expand our abilities. Getting constructive feedback from an outside source is something that I am familiar with in the dance field. We are always our most critical reviewers, so it can be helpful to have someone else guide your practice and help build upon the progress that’s been made. An area of newness for me this week was working with complex choreography that uses unevenly metered music or uneven counts. This has caused me to think
critically about how I am focusing on body awareness as well as how I anticipate my movements. I find myself wanting to wait for the even beat, which is not always the case for real-world choreography. This exposure to meters that are in five or seven has allowed me to practice new ways of counting choreography in my head. It feels like I am patting my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time. There is a connection between body and mind that I need to strengthen more based on this week’s activities. In jazz class, we play with syncopation and uneven counts occasionally. It felt slightly easier in jazz class to play with these counts compared to modern, but exploring the style applications is beneficial to being more well-
rounded. Making these mind-body connections in dance is useful as I progress towards working
on longer choreographic pieces and performances that don’t use the traditional eight-count, 4/4 meter. This is also more of a mental challenge for me, which can be useful because some dances require a lot of brain power to execute well. As we are reaching the end of the semester and entering the dance concert season, this connection to focus and awareness can help me perform more accurately and with more confidence in new situations.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
This week was helpful in establishing goals for myself for the next 3–4 weeks of normal classes in this course. I was able to do a lot of self-reflection this week, and one of my goals is to better connect my mind to my body. This includes connecting all parts of my body into one unit but also incorporating more mental focus as I dance. This can help me perform more complex choreography with greater ease. I want to be more efficient with my dancing, and consolidating my mental and physical energy can be beneficial to me. To attend to this, I am working in and out of class on new ways of counting music that aren’t typical or by pushing my boundaries of comfortability with the meter. I am often an apprehensive dancer who anticipates the next step. Working in uneven counts has helped me achieve this goal because I am constantly turning the wheel in my head. My goal is to get to the point where I can perform these sequences as naturally as I would an eight-count combination. I must practice this outside of class and by letting go of the strict rules that I have been given for so many years. Being willing to take risks and mess up is crucial to learning. Sometimes mistakes teach me what I need to focus my effort
on moving forward. Another goal for this week was to perform exercises and combinations with more energy and intent. I am getting to the point where I am more comfortable with the stylistic fundamentals of modern, but I need to make the movements more my own. By being intentional
about direction, placement, and connections to all body parts, I can make a more cohesive performance for myself. To achieve this goal, I need to make sure I am fully present in class and
actively try to ask questions when I am confused. I don’t need to struggle by myself, so getting clarity for moments of uncertainty can help me have a stronger intent behind what I am doing. One last goal for this week is to continue taking better care of my mental health. Dance is a physical activity, but it’s also mental. I attend to this by focusing on how I can maximize the energy I have available to make progress in class and putting forth all the effort I have. I am
sleeping more and taking time to socialize outside of class. I have already seen the positive effects of prioritizing myself over school, and this week I want to build on that and apply those benefits to my dance practice.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise from this week that I want to investigate is the strengthening and stretching exercise in our quadriceps. We had previously discussed how we are unsure of the meaning behind some stretches and need some options for stability and flexibility exercises. I was curious how our quadriceps muscles could be engaged in different positions. I explored how the
muscles and ligaments felt when we were in a lunged position, but I was really focusing on not sitting into the ligaments of my Achilles and using the ball of my back foot to push myself forward into my forward hip space for a deeper stretch. In the part where we had our knees down and the other leg aligned in a lunge over our ankle, I focused on breathing into the front of
my hips and squaring off my pelvis. By doing this, I felt a better stretch, and I found better spinal
alignment. Reaching back and grabbing my toe in that quadriceps curl position felt a little painful
at first, but I could feel the engagement throughout my leg, and I felt a stretch that I am unfamiliar with. This was a difficult stretch for me, but I will use this one again when I feel tightness throughout my leg. Another part of this exercise that I wanted to continue exploring was the quadriceps curl in a lateral position. This section had many parts to think about simultaneously. I first focus on weight distribution amongst all my metatarsals. It was helpful to practice this part with a partner so that I could find my support in the ankle as well as find a micro bend in my supporting knee. By not locking the knee joint, I was able to find more stability in that leg, and I allowed myself the ability to expand my range of motion in the working leg. As I
practiced this exercise, I was also thinking about hip alignment and reaching both hips down towards the floor while remaining in balance. This was tricky enough, but then we also added a curl of the quadriceps as well. This required focus, stability, balance, and strength. At home, I practiced this using the wall at first and then again in the center. Finding my center became easier with repetition, but I will continue to investigate this series of strengthening and stretching
exercises to find continued growth in this area (especially as we get into our readings regarding the legs and ankles).
5
. Cross Training Log:
G.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
H.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
G.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to do a mixture of mental health meetings with a counselor as well as continuing to do some light strength-training that I had been working on a couple weeks ago. This is a more avant-garde approach to cross-training, but I think both aspects are important for me right now. I plan to have a meeting with my new counselor on Monday from 3-4 PM in the Student Health Building,
and I plan to do a personal weight-training session in my dorm common area with some friends. We plan to do this on Tuesday from 5-5:30. H.
I followed through with my initial plan. I met up with this counselor (Ashley), who was very comfortable to talk to, especially since this was our second meeting. The act of being vulnerable is challenging, but building a connection with a specific counselor makes the process less intimidating. This meeting was on the third floor of the building connecting to the Student Health building and lasted a little over an hour because I was also able to make an introduction to a nutritionist in the same wing of the building. The atmosphere was non-judgmental and inviting, so I was able to open more without feeling
nervous about being embarrassed. These past two weeks have already allowed me to feel less weight on my shoulders because I feel like someone is carrying part of it for me.
After the meeting, I was provided with many suggestions for how to proceed, as well as advice to continue these meetings for the time being so that I can build a broader support system with professionals on campus. This is specifically targeting my goal of improved mental and physical health. I am starting on a journey of feeling stronger in my
daily activities as well as dance classes, and I am starting to feel the positive effects. Although this was a different style of cross-training activity this week, I think it might have
been as beneficial as my second activity of the week—strength straining. I had a 30-
minute session in my dorm from 5 to 5:30 on Tuesday with a fellow dancer who has light
weights. We used the small weights to amplify the exercises that we were performing. During the activity, I felt strong, and my friend was encouraging me to push through when I wanted to take a break. I have some weakness in my legs that was making it difficult to do some of the squats and jumps that the tutorial video was walking us through. After the workout, I felt my muscles were already getting sore, so I made sure to stretch immediately after to minimize pain the next day. My arms weren’t as sore as expected, but it was more in my quads. This is supporting my goal of rebuilding some of the muscles that I lost as well as targeting specific muscles that aren’t targeted enough in my classes. Dance can use any muscle at any point in time, so strengthening as many
of them as possible makes mobility easier and ensures that I can perform any step or sequence that is thrown my way. Also, weight training targets all parts of the body and works regions that are not used a lot. I find myself feeling more even and balanced when
I am using all body parts rather than overutilizing the main muscles that we focus on in class. I will continue to work on both cross-training exercises moving forward as the semester is slowly ending, and I can also explore any other opportunities that may become available.
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Journal Week 11:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the eleventh week of classes, we focused on continuing our knowledge of shoulder strength and the benefits of using that knowledge to move efficiently in our bodies for our groundwork combinations. Over the past several weeks of working with different levels, it has become easier for me to maneuver across the floor than before. I’m starting to feel more confident getting up and down from the floor quickly. The discussions about proper arm placement, use of momentum, and sense of connection have all been topics that are reiterated so that we will be ready for this practical exam combination. Our work on the floor has aided in preventing hyperextension in the elbows, and I no longer feel that my shoulder blades are sinking into my back as much as when we started learning these movements. On Monday, we had a guest teacher, Susie, who also talked about this idea of holding a micro bend in the elbows and elongating the back and shoulder blades. She discussed the use of pushing the palms of the hands into the ground as if we were sliding them into a nail light to dry our nails. This was helpful imagery for the mechanism of using our hands for inversions and rolls. Multiple
teachers have mentioned this in class, but her perspective and exercises with this concept helped me gain a deeper understanding of how to feel stable in an unstable position. Susie also discussed the use of fluidity and commitment to movement. We worked on incorporating our heads, our toes, and everything in between. This helped me feel more oriented in my body, especially when it came to rolling around on the floor. Another concept was working on performance quality and knowing the sequences forward and backward. Susie gave insight into the importance of being confident in the movement and having the strength to push through when we are tired. Her observations of focus with the head and eyes, confidence, and coordination all helped me feel more prepared for the practical on Wednesday. We also learned through watching peers practice in small groups. The pair-share method was used to provide specific feedback and compliments to one another to provide support. On the day of the practical, we put the finishing touches on how we can use musicality, counts, and fluidity to help us move through the short phrase with stamina. We also faced away from the mirror to allow for more spatial exploration (and to keep from staring into the mirror). During my performance, I tried to feel relaxed and ahead of the music so that I was not lagging. I found that this technique made it easier to keep up, and it prevented me from stopping in between transitions. By pushing
myself during this final performance of the phrase, I felt tired but also stronger. I was more confident in my performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all my peers’ hard work come together as well. In this class this week, we learned all about performance, and that is something that is not reserved for a singular day but for every class in the future.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was performing a whole modern choreographic piece that utilized floor work as well as a speedy tempo and specific counts. This was my second modern practical since coming to college, so I was more prepared for what to expect from the process. I also had a jazz practical this week, so some topics of overlap were the ideas of confidence and intent behind movement. We worked on adding artistic touches to
our dancing, and I felt that this elevated my performance during both exams. Dance is a performance art, so learning more about artistic expression can be useful as I continue to perform in lengthy shows and concerts. In Jazz 1 this week, we have been focusing on our back
and shoulders as well as methods for stabilizing the entire skeletal system as we perform small, intricate movements. That has been a big topic in Modern this week as well, so it has been helpful to have that idea reinforced several times throughout my schedule. Another area of familiarity this week was the idea of using all parts of the body in a movement rather than putting one section on the backburner. I often did this with my head and arms, but Susie worked
with us on full-body connections. This helped me as I explored floor movements because it helped me be less tense and disjointed. An area of newness this week was learning the names of the individual shoulder muscles that perform specific functions. I always considered my shoulder to just be the shoulder blade region. I’m now aware of the joints, sockets, and muscles that help twist, support, and balance my body. Another area of familiarity this week was when we were working on keeping the neutral spine on the ground. We have been working on spinal alignment for the past couple weeks in class, and we’ve been adding on to how we can more efficiently find that alignment (and integrating that into our practical choreography).
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work on artistic expression and performance quality in the practical. This is something I have been working on since coming to university, and
I will continue to improve as I gain exposure to performing in these settings. Confidence has been key to achieving this goal. Knowing where I am going and what step is preceding has allowed me to work on adding in smaller details that make the performance feel more comfortable in my skin. We’ve been working on this choreography for a shorter period compared to the first practical, so I was challenging my ability to learn and execute new movements quickly. This performance was the final chance to show off all the work that I’ve put into the performance and the tools I’ve learned for maneuvering on the ground. I did not want to hold back now, but I took this opportunity to dance to my fullest and use all the space I was allotted. Even when I am nervous to perform, I just must remember that all my peers and teachers are there to improve and support one another. Another goal related to this course is applying the information we are learning in our weekly readings of anatomy to class. This week, we are continuing to delve into the shoulders and how there are several muscles that are present throughout the body that support all dance movements. Being knowledgeable about my body is something I have been interested in learning in the past, and I’m glad that I am learning more about the mechanisms and functions of different muscle and joint groups. This has helped
me learn about how to be more aware of myself and protect my body for many years to come. The readings offer suggestions for exercises to work on at home and ways of approaching dancing in class. By incorporating that information in class, I am learning more and more. To achieve this goal, I do the readings prior to coming to class so that I can absorb the information and have a deeper understanding of the purpose behind learning this complex information in the
text. Another goal for this week was learning from my peers. This practical exam was an excellent learning opportunity for me as a performer and critic. I worked to watch my peers as they performed because I was able to pick up on qualities that I enjoyed and could employ in my
own performance. I learned how to make myself the best performer I can be, and it allowed me
to find things that I want to build from. To achieve this goal, I was a quiet and intense viewer. I made mental notes throughout their performances and had discussions with them after they were finished. I love watching my friends dance, so this is a goal I enjoy working on. To learn about dance, you must watch a lot of dances. Lastly, one of my goals this week was to work on being kind to my body and not running it until just fumes remain. To attend to this, I have been seeking support to ease any extra stress I carry. I’ve been focusing on sleeping well before class and getting the essential nutrients that my body needs to support intense functions. By working actively on myself, I am working on my dance practice. This is a goal that will continue to be pursued for a long time in the future because it’s something that is vitally important.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise that I felt resonated with me this week was the leg swing exercise that Susie let us explore in our warmup on Monday. This exercise was like a typical modern leg swing series, but
I wanted to further explore how different qualities could be contrasted, such as performing the sequence sequentially and with free flow as opposed to sharp with a bounded flow. In class, we discussed how energy can be used to change the movement quality and overall feeling of the movement. This exercise began on the floor, and we actively worked to coordinate the head and
arm movements together rather than moving them as separate units. We played with the idea of
placing the forehead on the ground and massaging it as we swung the leg back and forth while moving the arm in opposition. This was an unfamiliar feeling because I tend to hold tension in my neck that prevents me from fully placing my head on the ground and sinking my weight into it. I started to feel more grounded as we performed this exercise with flowing, soft energy. All the movements felt more efficient, and I felt more in control of my limbs. We worked in pairs to find the feeling of pushing and pulling from the ground. We would pull our partners heal as they sequentially moved to a mid-position. Being pulled up helped me feel my center and helped find the overcrowding that we were going for. Another aspect of the exercise was lifting out our hips as we rose to the knee for a mid-level leg swing that carried us to a circle spin on our hands. This required our use of shoulder strength and positioning, which we have been reading and exploring recently. Putting our weight on one arm requires muscle engagement and force on the
floor. Using both momentum and placement, I was able to run around myself and successfully reach that mid-level while lying flat on my back. During the version that used bound, sharp quality, this portion of the exercise was easier due to the force that comes with increased momentum. When I practiced this exercise at home, I was able to combine moments of bound and free flow and sharp and soft movements depending on the section of the sequence. I enjoyed playing with dynamics and working with the ideas of head-to-toe coordination. I want to continue to work on my release technique and feel myself pushed into the floor for support. Susie used good imagery to help me as I continue to explore how I can use energy as a form of aesthetic and efficiency in movement. These ideas were also helpful precursors for our midterm practical, which uses floor work, mid- and low-levels, and dynamics.
5
. Cross Training Log:
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I.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
J.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
I.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity this week is slightly different than what I’ve been doing the previous ten weeks. This week I wanted to focus on myself. My initial plan for this week for my activity was to talk to professionals in mental health here on campus as well as taking personal time to relax, eat, and sleep during my busy schedule. This always seemed to be a challenge of finding time, so having this time dedicated to cross-training has opened opportunities to work on things I had neglected for far too long. I intend to talk to someone in the TRACS organization on campus for an hour this week, who reached out to me previously. This week is scheduled for Monday around 2-3 PM. J.
I followed through with my initial plan. I met up with this counselor who was very comfortable to talk to. The act of seeking support can be difficult for me, but I am glad that I have people around me who pushed me to make this decision myself when I was being stubborn. This meeting was on the third floor of the building connecting to the Student Health building and lasted just about an hour this week. I was nervous to be vulnerable with a stranger at first, but I became much more comfortable after entering the space and meeting the advisor. I could physically feel weight being lifted off my shoulders as I shared all the stresses in my life and became more hopeful that there are preventative steps to making sure I can be both successful in class and continue to function as a healthy adult. After the meeting I was provided with many suggestions for how to proceed, as well as advice to continue these meetings for the time being so that I
can have a support system on campus. I created a list of tasks for myself that allowed me to hold myself accountable for all the ways I plan to improve that week. This is specifically targeting my goal of improved mental and physical health. I haven’t been feeling my strongest lately, and I truly want to do better. Dance is such an active activity that used the body as an instrument. I wouldn’t want to play my flute with a broken instrument, so why should I treat my body as such. Re-building the muscle that I’ve lost and focusing on how I can become a stronger dancer all come with taking care of myself
above all else. Although this was an off cross-training activity this week, I think it might have been the most beneficial and influential week I’ve had this semester. I will continue to attend this activity, as well as getting into some physical cross-training as I become stronger.
Journal Week 10:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the tenth week of classes, we had only one in-class session due to fall break. This week was heavily focused on shoulder anatomy, mechanisms, and strength. This includes how our arm coordination can aid in safe groundwork choreography. Our focus on the upper body allowed me to feel sensations of weakness in areas that I haven’t been targeting. We are gearing up for our second practical exam, so we discussed methods for staying on tempo and hitting certain movements on counts that are specified. I was struggling to hit all the beats, but after discussing how we can plan ahead, I was able to prepare myself for the following steps. We worked on learning the sequence well so that we weren’t questioning the “what” and starting to embellish on the “how” and “why”. We focused on how to perform the roll sequences quickly as well, as this is a challenging part for me. This requires keeping momentum going and not taking a moment to sit in my body. We also talked about how we can prepare for that sequence by starting slightly earlier to leave an extra count for the rolls. This helped me feel the flow of the sequences, and although I am still not there, I am starting to feel how fluidity is beneficial to the piece. Knowing where I am going and when I need to be there has helped me prepare for next week. Another topic that we discussed in class was that stamina is crucial for performing this sequence, and this can be done by breathing through the movements. Finding moments of breath in between transitions and focusing on individual places
to take a deep exhale have been helpful to me. I have work to do until the performance, but repetition and focus are tools that we learned in class that can help me perform well. Making sure I am rested and taking care of myself so that I can apply all the concepts we are learning and feel more support throughout the phrase.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of familiarity for me this week was continuing to work on our Practical Exam choreography, which includes the groundwork and roll sequences that we’ve been practicing. I was building up speed by performing these sequences while focusing on the core and spinal connections. This also goes into our readings of the shoulders. Our shoulders have muscles and joints that affect mobility and placement of the rest of our body, and understanding those readings is helpful in my performance and dance application. We have been working on our shoulder strength in jazz as well, so I am applying the academic readings of our class to both of my technique classes. I’ve continued to learn about hyperextension in my arms and how
that is hurting my body rather than helping. A slight microbend (like a boba straw) in the elbows makes me feel much more supported than I would’ve thought. I want to really start focusing on keeping my body healthy for the coming future. This starts with physically taking care of my body. Learning the mechanisms of my anatomy is crucial to performing steps safely and effectively. The magic of our skeletal system is like nothing else, so I am happy to be able to have an enriched understanding of how I can better use my joints and muscles for dance performance. An area of newness for me was building speed in floor work. I am not used to going from up to down so quickly and fluidly. Our warm-up exercise, which requires us to move from and to the floor in just a few counts, has prepared us for the choreography, which has
similar elements of speed and agility. I can apply my head-tail connection and core strength that
we’ve been building in warm-up and across-the-floor exercises to get myself moving efficiently. The topics of stamina, strength, and connections are applicable to all my dance classes and will help me as I start to perform longer works. The connections of strength are applicable and useful to me because they draw attention to the fact that I need those things to perform well. This means I must work on rebuilding strength outside of class and focusing on my body.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work on proper placement of my shoulder joints and to gain a deeper understanding of the anatomy of my scapula, humerus, and other shoulder
structures. Doing the readings early and establishing a basis for class was helpful in achieving this goal. Understanding the mechanics and function of different muscle systems, such as the shoulder socket, was helpful as we worked on rolls and slides across the floor. The applications of our anatomical discussions have been helping me with this goal as well because I am a visual learner. I use pictures and diagrams to help me understand my body. Another goal for this week was to work on taking up more space when I dance. We have been working on a phrase that travels and uses slides, jumps, and rolls. Instead of holding back, I want to focus on using all the space possible. Those tuition dollars need to be put to good use. I achieved this goal by being more confident in the choreography so that I have more free space in my brain to focus on how I am moving rather than what I am doing. Pushing my boundaries mentally and physically are two goals that I work on every week. Coming back from fall break caused me to forget some of the choreography we have been working on, so another goal was to improve focus as we returned from a break. Paying attention in class and working on memory retention as we add details to the phrase is another goal for this week. Moving forward, a major goal is to work on building strength again. This requires me to come to class rested and fueled so that my body can do what it needs to. This means going to bed earlier and waking up in time for breakfast. I am committing to this goal by being held accountable by friends and teachers.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise from this week that I want to investigate is the cognitive exercise of running in a 5-
count, alternating pattern. As someone who loves numbers and patterns, I found it interesting how testing this exercise was for my brain. As we ran forward for 5 counts, backwards for 4, forward for 3, and backwards for 3, I had to focus on step size as well as constantly thinking of the direction of motion. Knowing which shoulder to turn over at each transition was challenging, but I found it helpful to clap when I needed to turn. I am interested in understanding why it can be so challenging to focus on direction and change counts unevenly. It is a mental practice that requires intense focus. As we sped the combination up, the step size needed to change by the distance of travel to remain the same. To travel, I had to work on propelling forward and holding back when switching directions. This was testing for my stop and start mechanisms, but I had to
learn to push through the frustration of getting behind or making a misstep. An important feature
of this exercise is that you can always join back in, so I was working on persevering through the mistakes. This was a fun exercise to experiment with and can be applied to many dance pieces
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that use atypical counting schemes or frequent use of directional changes with fast tempos. I want to continue working on this because it both works my brain and warms up my feet and legs.
5
. Cross Training Log:
K.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
L.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
K.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to go back to the weight training class that I did a couple weeks ago. The class I intend to take is on Wednesday from 4-5 PM in the Johnson Gym. I plan to take a friend with me, so that it is more fun. I planned to do
this because it coincides well with our readings on the shoulders and practice with groundwork in the past several weeks of class. L.
I followed through with my initial plan. I attended the group weight training class at the Johnson Gym from 3–4 PM with my friend. I had taken two weeks off from the last weights class, so during the warm-up, I felt my body trying to remember how it feels to move in that way. My biceps and triceps were getting fatigued early on in class, but I still felt stronger than I did during the beginning of the first class I attended. I was more familiar with the correct form of the warmup exercises, so I was able to focus on control rather than form. I used the first part of class to visualize how my shoulder muscles were
directly supporting the movement in my arms and back. This helped me create stability in my joints. I’ve learned the importance of strengthening the muscles in my shoulders because they are responsible for supporting the shoulder socket and humerus. By the middle of class, I felt some strain in my back and core. This was due to me engaging all parts of my body during our curls and trunk twists. We did a lot of resistance exercises this week, so I felt sore by the end. I opted to stay with the 7-pound weights for most of the class so that I could work on the movements and not overstrain my biceps. I only did 6 pounds last week, so I was proud that I could move up slightly. I felt burning throughout my arms as well as a lot of abdominal engagement during curls and side lifts.
I enjoyed having small gaps in between reps to breathe into my muscles. I found that resistance and not gravity and momentum to achieve the desired position caused me to feel more of a workout. Control was a big focus for me during this class. By the end of the 45 minutes, the teacher had cooldown stretches for my abdominal, core, and shoulder muscles that were targeted throughout class. I was working on both new and familiar movements, so I knew that I would feel the effects the next day. This has specifically helped with my goal of protecting my body long-term. Weightlifting is a great way to protect the shoulder joints from injury and promote increased stability throughout the back and arms. This is a topic we’ve discussed in class, and I want to ensure I can safely dance for a long time. This also ties into my long-term goal of strengthening my shoulders. The core is essential for all dance movements, and weightlifting targets all the
individual joints and muscles. Lastly, this is working towards my goal of improving stability in my legs and body awareness. Both of those are qualities that are beneficial to
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dancers as they move their bodies in various ways. Next week, I might try to incorporate weight training again into my cross-training and stray away from cardio-intense workouts. I am also planning to start focusing on mental health as a form of cross-
training. This could be meetings with professionals or conversations with friends and family. I look forward to next week (Halloween, yay)!
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Journal Week 9:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the ninth week of classes, we focused on shoulder strength and arm coordination that will help us as we take care of our bodies and work more on groundwork choreography. I quickly realized that I am lacking in the upper body strength department, and that has caused me to sink into my shoulder blades when we do slides and other floorwork. This
might feel easier in the moment, but by using incorrect form and hyperextending my elbows, I am slowly degrading my body. I was trying to actively engage the back muscles to support the rest of my system. We talked about this idea of holding a micro bend in the elbows and elongating the back and shoulder blades. The concept of bending my elbows feels less stable than locking my elbows, but we discussed how biomechanically it is more stable. I enjoyed the analogy of having an open straw rather than one that has kinks in it. I experienced some tension
in my back and weakness in my triceps. We also explored the use of traveling by pushing our pelvis and sliding on the leg rather than the knee cap. When we did this activity, I had more success by using my arm to push up and forward with my body instead of sinking into the elbow
and not quite sliding properly. Another concept was adding steps from last week’s guest class into our choreography that we began learning two weeks ago. This integration of previous steps,
coupled with our focus on shoulder strength, brought all the information together for me. I was starting to feel more flow and comfortability with the movements because I have had time to explore the mechanics and the regions of my body that are supporting me. Although this week made me feel where my weaknesses are, they informed me of areas for growth. We also discussed how we retain information and sequences in class. We are starting to get into the “why” and “how” of the combinations, but we must first know the “what”. This goes into memory retention, and we are always working towards that in class.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of familiarity for me this week was working on the slides and groundwork
from the previous weeks. We established a foundation recently that I was able to build off of based on in-depth discussions about mechanics. In jazz class this week, we worked on planks and pushups as well, which coincides well with the areas of strength we’re growing in modern class. This was very useful to me because I need to practice my exercises. Repetition is key to building muscles, so I enjoyed having these connections between classes. An area of newness for me this week was incorporating quicker choreography that transitions through floor and standing work. The movements are also still unfamiliar to me, so working on cognitive focus was
challenging for me. I was starting to feel overwhelmed with all the things I was focusing on executing, but as I became more comfortable with the "what,” I was able to work efficiently. This can be applied to other classes, including Introduction to Dance, where we have been working on new tap sequences that are pushing my limits. I must really focus on what I am doing and then work on adding speed. The connections I’ve been making this week are largely due to the use of strength in dance. Specifically in terms of upper-body strength. This can be helpful in all styles of dance, and most importantly, it is important to dance safely. The anatomical knowledge
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that we learn in class can be directly applied to new movements we work on, choreography, and
body preservation.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work on picking up choreography quickly and noticing small details of artistic liberty. This could include a simple across-the-floor exercise or a movement phrase that we are working on. I want to challenge the speed at which I can learn new material that may or may not incorporate new skills that require repetition. Not shying away from a challenge and taking a risk to be vulnerable is something I am always striving for. In longer choreography, I have more opportunity to explore my range and boundaries. By performing longer sequences, I can work on memory retention and performance quality. We discussed this leading up to our practical, but performing isn’t reserved for an exam. As dancers, we are always performing; a tendu combination can and should be a performance for myself. I am attending to the goal of memory retention and performance quality by paying close attention to class and staying on task without getting distracted. This means marking through phrases repetitively with the instructor and listening to feedback given directly to me or my peers. Another goal I have for this week is to improve my shoulder strength and awareness of how I am using my arms. A lot of the groundwork that we do in class uses our arms to push and
pull our body weight into different slides and rolls. Being aware of what muscles I am utilizing, and which ones are lacking, I can highlight what I can work on outside of class (or in my cross-
training activity). I want to work on traveling through space as much as possible, rather than holding back. We have such a large space with the opportunity to move, so I am working on exploring larger movements. Lastly, my goal this week is to stop saying “can’t” when it comes to
learning new things. This week, I want to be more open-minded about what I can do and what I can do to do things that I previously did not do correctly. We discussed this in class, and I realized that I could do more than I thought if I just tried to push myself. This comes from confidence in myself and a willingness to learn. This is something I want to improve on in all aspects of life, including school and dance.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
An exercise that I felt resonated with me this week was the plank and tabletop pushup sequences. This included putting all four limbs on the ground and leaning slightly forward so that we could bend our elbows into the pushup position. I investigated the difference between bending my elbows straight as opposed to keeping them close to my body. There are multiple forms of pushups that can target different regions of the arms, but I found that the latter option was more challenging for me. I could bend down far to the ground, but I would be unable to push myself up because I didn’t have the strength to—yet. I felt shaking in my arms and tension in my back. This alerted me to the fact that I need to practice this exercise often at home to build
up that strength. It was helpful to elongate my back and shoulder blades as I bent forward and focused on keeping a straight spine with my buttocks not pushed out. When I worked on this exercise, going slowly to where I could recover, I felt that I could do more repetitions over time. By avoiding going past where I could support myself, I felt that I was building strength. When I
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found myself sinking into my shoulder blades or arching my back in an improper way, I would stop and take a break. Repeating something the incorrect way only reinforces bad habits and causes me to cheat myself out of a full exercise. In class, it was helpful to watch the form of my peers so that I could work on myself at home through visualization. I’d like to better understand how upper body muscles can be used efficiently in dance, and working through similar exercises has helped me with that.
5
. Cross Training Log:
M.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
N.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
M.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to go back to the cycling class that I have been doing previously. The class I intend to take is on Tuesday night from 3-4 PM in the Johnson Gym. I plan to take a friend with me, so that it is more fun. N.
I followed through with my initial plan. I attended the group cycling class at the Johnson Gym from 3–4 PM with my friend. I had taken a week off from my cycling cross-training, so during the warm-up I felt my body trying to remember how it feels to move in that way. My butt felt odd on the seat, and the arm movements weren’t as natural. After 15 minutes of class, I felt more comfortable with the mechanisms of the bike and could continue to build upon the progress I’ve been making. As the class got going with more difficult sets and exercises, I felt stronger than before. I was speeding up and slowing down with the teacher, taking breaks only when necessary. I could incorporate the extra challenges that the instructor would offer if we wanted a more intense stretch or exercise. This was a confidence-builder because I no longer felt like an imposter in a cycling class. I have gained so much knowledge and form in the past couple weeks that I
feel I am now an intermediate student rather than the beginner I was a couple weeks ago. I felt the burn throughout my quads and abdominals, but this week specifically, my triceps were being utilized a lot. I had been sore all week in my arms, so this class amplified that, so I made sure to take it easy on the arm exercises. My stamina has improved because I made it to the end of the main part of class without taking extended breaks. During the cool-down, I felt exhausted but strong. My body felt like it had accomplished a goal, and I felt proud of myself. The specific goal of mine that I hope to continue building off of is that I want to push myself harder with each class and with each exercise. This supports my dance practice because pushing myself in class can help me become a more knowledgeable, well-rounded dancer who is comfortable doing greater amounts of choreography and movement styles. Being a static dancer won’t help
me through my education, so any small pushes make me better. Another goal that cycling has been helping me with is body awareness. Knowing what movements are coming, how they are going to feel, and what mechanisms of muscle contractions and releases are causing the motion. Learning how my body works is crucial for dance, and using body visualization and knowledge of physical systems, I can respect my body’s capabilities and move more efficiently. Of course, I am also building strength and
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stamina, which are key components of my dance practice, as we ramp up into longer choreographic sequences and performances. I enjoyed the cross training this week, and I hope to continue this practice next week (unless a new opportunity arises to try something new)!
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Journal Week 8:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the eighth week of classes, we focused on learning more complex choreographic sequences and challenging our retention of new choreography with steps that we
have been working on from the current and previous weeks. We had guest artists come this week who taught a combination of both new and familiar movements. We explored new concepts of street dance and inversions. It was incorporated in a way that I have never performed these movements together, so a major concept was pushing traditional modern boundaries. We danced to untraditional music that had a deep hip-hop groove and emotional connection. We worked on incorporating street dance with modern roots. This included the new use of groundwork, slides, undulations, arm “fippidie-doo” (Callie), etc. that we have been focusing on, as well as new concepts. As we progress towards more locomotive phrases that are longer, I am beginning to feel myself challenging my comfort level. I felt empowered when I was able to move throughout space with big traveling steps and spins that I am unfamiliar with. Another major concept this week was exploring how we feel in our skin and listening to how our body responds to movement. We are all different, so taking artistic liberties for our safety and to have fun is important. Our readings for this week involved pelvis and iliopsoas function and anatomy. We worked on locating these structures and muscle groupings so that we could work efficiently on dancing and maintaining a healthy body. Being safe while taking personal exploration is a major concept that we have discussed in class, and I appreciate the attention that is placed on dancing longevity. These guest artists understand body anatomy and taking care of ourselves, so this is perfectly integrated into our readings and in-class work sessions. This past week has been my favorite all year because of the energy that they brought to their phrases. I felt good in my body and worked on letting loose in a new space.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was connecting longer sequences of steps that I am still working on performing and incorporating hip-hop style into my modern vocabulary.
Linking all these steps and concepts together has been challenging, but I am starting to feel like I am truly getting into the groove of dancing (especially with the help of some amazing music for
class). We are beginning to perform longer phrases in my jazz class as well, so this concept of retention is being integrated throughout my schedule. This challenges my brain, but it has been useful in building up my muscle memory from class to class. Being able to learn new choreography and perform it in a short period of time is a realistic task for a dancer working in the real world, so these connections are directly applicable to my life outside of class. An area of
familiarity from this week was our continued focus on the exploration of the pelvic region and experiencing the effects it can cause by releasing and contracting all the muscles involved. The guest artist had us explore our pelvis through a series of floor slides and contractions. This was challenging at first, but she provided some hands-on feedback that helped me push into my hips
and utilize my side abdominal crunch motion. Last week, we were given a coloring book to use for identifying the individual parts that make up an incredibly complex system known as our body. I took that knowledge and applied it to the phrases and warmup exercises we were
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learning in class this week. The activity of color-coordinating body systems helped with my visualization and allowed me to make connections that were vague before. This is useful to me because I can take care of my body and prevent tension, pain, and misalignment. I found it interesting how our typical class warmups paralleled those used in the guest classes. We utilized heel rocks, body scans, leg swings, and core distal extensions. These are areas of familiarity, but their way of explaining them provided a new approach to the exercises. I enjoyed the new perspective they provided and the phrasing they used.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work on how I visualize my internal structures during complex choreography, which is a new style to the way I have been moving. Since we are focusing on the pelvis this week, I specifically used imagery and visualization techniques to think of that region and how it connects with the abdominals and spine that we previously learned about. I tend to focus on purely moving my body and staying in time when dancing, but as our class has been focusing on anatomy and working through each bone in my body, I want to incorporate visualization techniques to fix alignment and move efficiently without degrading my joints and muscles. This requires me to multitask quickly, but walking through sequences slowly and asking specific questions to the guest artists was a method that I was using to make sure I could hone this skill. Another goal for this week was to remember long sequences of choreography and employ strong transitions between movements to work on flow of motion while incorporating emotion. We worked on a phrase that had specific counts and moments of suspension. I want to make the movements look seamless and effortless, but this requires me to relax into my body and feel the choreography inside me, not just superficially placed on me. This comes with repetition and confidence in myself that I am constantly working on as a goal in
this class. I haven’t worked in hip hop a lot or slides across the floor, but my goal for this week was to immerse myself the best I can and dance like no one is watching. I also want to absorb as much knowledge from these guests while they are still here! Pushing my personal boundaries is an evolving goal, expanding upon the vocabulary I am already familiar with.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
I will discuss the across the floor section connecting the slides through the space, pushing pelvic contractions, and leg swing spins. We discussed how we are sliding on our hips and side calfs rather than on our knees, which hurts. I wanted to investigate the mechanism of getting to the ground without landing harshly on my knee or arm. I worked on putting my hip down and staying on my thigh as I put pressure on my hand for power. The first several times I practiced this, I landed directly on my knee or hip bone, so I made an intentional effort to go slowly until I had to slow down. The push sensation came from the energy in my hand and the pelvic thrust. Using my momentum to take my body forward, I was able to travel through space more seamlessly. The pelvis side contractions on the back were challenging at first, but I was able to engage my side abdominals to utilize my side space as a way of accumulating power to push my pelvis behind me and slide smoothly on my back. I was imagining creating a pike position in my hips that is initiated by the push of my supporting leg and contractions in my side. I found it
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helpful to lose my socks and have traction on the ground. The series of consecutive leg slides across the floor required a buildup of energy and pushing off from my leg and hand on the ground. Once we transitioned to the leg swing, I had to use the built-up energy to rotate fully around on my hip or side without getting stuck. This required a strong connection to the ground and the use of the swinging mechanism to carry me. Imagining a contracted position at the end helped me create the ball shape that would help the rotation reach completion. This exercise built upon itself and incorporated concepts that the guest artists had been discussing in class as
well as what we had been practicing in previous weeks. We talked about the abdominals, the use of contraction, momentum, thrust, pelvic engagement, and body listening. I am going to continue to investigate this exercise to learn more about my connection to the ground and how I can safely and effectively travel across it. Overall, it was just a fun exploration of the ground.
5
. Cross Training Log:
O.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
P.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
O.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to try a weightlifting class with my friend in the weight training KHP class this semester. I chose this new activity this week after one of my peers inspired me, and I was motivated to move out of my current comfort zone. I intended to meet on Tuesday afternoon in the Johnson Gym Studio from 4-5 PM.
There are a variety of weight types available there, so there was room to explore my initial strength. P.
I followed through with my initial plan, and we met at the Johnson Gym at 4 PM on Tuesday to have a weightlifting session. We found a quiet, secluded area in the weight area where we could use the mirrors for visual corrections. We followed along with a typical warmup from the KHP class that my friend was enrolled in. We started with stretching and low-strength weight exercises. I enjoyed the progression of this warmup because it introduced me to the motions that I would be repeating later in the session. The first several reps focused on targeting different muscles in the arms. I opted to stay with the 7-pound weights for most of the class so that I could work on the movements and not overstrain my muscles. I am working on building up to heavier weights over time. I felt burning throughout my arms as well as a lot of abdominal engagement during curls and side lifts. I enjoyed having small breaks in between reps to allow my muscles to relax. I found that I got a stronger workout when I did not rely on gravity and momentum to achieve the desired position. Being sustained and controlled was important in building up my stamina. By the end of the 45 minutes, my friend walked me through a series of cool-down stretches for my abdominal, core, and shoulder muscles that were heavily fatigued. These were new movements for me, so I knew there would be stiffness and soreness the next day. This has specifically helped with my goal of protecting my body long-term. Weightlifting is a great way to protect joints from injury and promote increased bone density. This is a topic we’ve discussed in class, and I want
to ensure I can safely dance for a long time. This also ties into my long-term goal of
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strengthening my core. The core is essential for all dance movements, and weightlifting targets all the individual abdominals. This supports my spine and limb movements. Lastly, this is working towards my goal of improving balance and body awareness. Both of those are qualities that are beneficial to dancers as they move their bodies in all directions and ways. I will continue to explore this cross-training exercise, and I am glad that I pushed myself to try something new.
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Journal Week 7:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the seventh week of classes, we focused a lot on the sensation of engaging the pelvic floor along with the tail bone. I felt weird feeling the muscles in this area, and it required me to release some tension I hold in my buttocks that is naturally there. We worked on finding that engagement by lying on the floor and sitting on our sit bones. It was easier for me to
find my pelvic floor when we were lying on the ground. I found the physical corrections in this position helpful to me because, by pressing my hips and releasing my tailbones, I allowed my muscles to be felt. This also helped locate the neutral spine position that we discussed last week. I was able to feel the difference between a neutral spine and a posterior tilt where my lumbar spine contacts the ground. We also worked on articulating through the individual vertebrae and engaging our core. Another concept that we worked on in class was the methods by which we get up and off the floor in differing amounts of time. There are infinite ways this can
be accomplished. We brought up the use of contraction, head-tail connection, and momentum as ways we can travel through space. When we applied this method of melting and getting back
up to standing, we took a more locomotive approach. We talked about the differences between rolling, sliding, and spinning. All three have different approaches and use different amounts of contact with the floor. Rolling has many contact points on the ground simultaneously, while spinning has one of two contact points with the ground at one time. The sliding technique maintains contact as different body parts reach out and propel the body forward. When differentiating between these methods, I was able to feel different sensations of locomotion. I felt more secure in the rolling and sliding, but I felt some hesitancy in the spinning method. I think it was harder to think of ways of moving with only small contact with the floor. Lastly, a major concept this week was learning how to safely roll over and around our shoulders. This requires knowledge of shoulder blade support and a strong core. I felt that I was engaging more of my back when we worked slowly through the rolls because I wanted to avoid sinking into my joints. This concept made my shoulders hurt a little, but I could feel the muscles getting stronger. I am still struggling with this sensation, but by the second class, I was more comfortable with the mechanisms.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was floorwork. I haven’t done a lot of this in
the past, so I am unfamiliar with my connection to the floor through locomotive dancing. Working
with rolls on the floor and slides is new, but I have been working on some of these skills in other classes, such as jazz. We have been doing some slides on the floor that are like topics we’re covering in modern class now. Being able to work on the ground swiftly and efficiently has been a common theme in several of my classes. These connections are important in ensuring that I don’t injure myself when performing these skills. I want to dance for a long time, so I’m glad we are reinforcing the anatomical connections that allow for safe traveling. We have been incorporating areas of familiarity as we move to the ground as well. Some concepts are integrated on the floor just as they are when standing. I am familiar with my head-tail connection, but I am now using that in a new way to help me perform different tasks, such as a
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roll over the shoulders. Using the tucking mechanism and shoulder blade engagement that we have been discussing in class, I have been able to apply our previous explorations to new types
of movements. Dance is a practice of application. We are constantly building upon the fundamentals we learn so that we can expand our vocabulary and skillset for more complex sequences. By incorporating concepts we have been repeating in previous classes into new concepts, I am finding new ways of moving. This methodology is familiar to me because this is how I approach other styles of dance as well. Another area of newness was the use of locating the pelvic floor and differentiating between engaging that versus the sit bones. This was challenging, but in other classes I am asked to engage my pelvic floor, and I had no idea what that meant. Finding the subtle differences and how they play into one another will help me in other areas of practice.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work on how I use my breath in the warmup exercises. I wanted to note how I hold, initiate, and utilize breath to move through my body. I am
beginning to see how beneficial it is to use breath in movement and avoid holding it and causing
tension through other parts of my body. In the X warmup, I have been finding moments that I can initiate movement from my breath. The core distal section and opening breath section have been good explorations for this. Using all eight counts to fully expand and contract my diaphragm, and then working on quickly deflating my diaphragm as I initiate to the side in the core distal section. Practicing these two different methods helps me explore ways that I can use these in longer dance sequences to help propel and initiate movement in new ways. Another goal for this week or intention I had was to pay attention to fully articulating through my spine and using my core muscles (especially the transversus abdominis) to roll down through the different sections. Having control of my movements will be beneficial as we progress more towards floor movements that are unfamiliar to me. I have been working on some of these exercises from class when I am at home, such as working slowly through my spine as I roll to the ground. I realized I have been strengthening my core in an inefficient way by performing a series of abdominal exercises and crunches that are not allowing me to fully engage the 3D structure of my core. Taking slow, controlled movements rather than quick momentum-based movements has helped me attend to his goal. Lastly, a goal for me this week was to experiment
with new floor movements that had previously scared me. I want to take risks and learn from my
peers so that I can learn new or more advanced skills. By committing myself and asking questions, I can work towards achieving this goal. I hope that I can soon be very comfortable moving on the floor and become more fluid with my movements.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
I will discuss the warmup with the heel rocks in the wide X position on the floor. The first time I did this exercise several weeks ago, I felt awkward and unsure of how to find looseness in that position. As we have worked on this for the past 6 weeks, I have felt differences in how I perform and approach moving through this exercise. I start by closing my eyes and slowly
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rocking my heels naturally as I inhale and exhale through my body. I let this isolated movement carry through from my pinky toe all the way to the top of my head. I think of it as a ripple in the water that can’t help but travel through me. I try to imagine that my head and jaw are completely
released in a natural position, free of any natural tension that I hold there. As we work on targeting the body diagonally by rocking one heel and reaching through the opposite arm, I imagine the body diagonally going through my X position. The energy is reaching out to my toes
and fingertips. I think about reaching through my fingers to the corner of the room while keeping my other body diagonally stationary. Once we do the other diagonal and return to full-body rocks, I stay in the mindset that my body is broken into two diagonals that are reaching out simultaneously. Thinking of it in this way has brought attention to the energy in my legs and arms. Over time, this will become even easier, but understanding how to approach this exercise has allowed me to investigate how my body feels when it is fully relaxed. I want to continue to explore how I can unlock more movement by releasing tension.
5
. Cross Training Log:
Q.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
R.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
Q.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to try out a kickboxing class with some friends. I intended to meet on Tuesday night in the Johnson Gym Studio from 6-7 PM. We had reserved an area that had a TV that we could pull up an online class to follow along. R.
I followed through with my initial plan, and we met at the Johnson Gym at 6 PM on Tuesday to have a fun cardio kickboxing class as a group. We were in a small, secluded space upstairs where we could use the TV to connect to my laptop. We followed along with a YouTube tutorial video by Heather Robertson. This video was 30 minutes long, and we took the remaining 30 minutes to do a group stretching session to help heal any muscle strain that would follow. I took kickboxing last semester as a KHP course, so I felt confident in my form and technique. All the movements were starting to come back to me, especially the fundamental punches and kicks. This video was heavily cardio based, so I felt that I was raising my heart rate quickly as we progressed. I was typically fatigued by the end of each set, but it was helpful to take a 30-second recovery in between before continuing. By the end of the video, I felt that my arms were sore, and my inner thighs were burning. The boxing stance requires engagement of the core, legs, and shoulders. This has specifically helped with my goal of improving core strength and upper-body strength. It has also helped with building my stamina. In dance, all these goals are beneficial to supporting movements and the rest of our body. We have been learning about how the core is related to spinal support, and dance uses the spine for a variety of movement types. I want to ensure that I am gaining strength in my core so that
I can be more supported in my dancing. Also, by improving my cardiovascular endurance, I can dance for longer periods of time without getting tired. For some pieces, it is required that I continue moving without any breaks, and I want to be able to perform
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at a high level even at the end of the piece. I am glad that we incorporated a stretch session at the end of the class because I was already feeling tightness throughout my body. This was a great recovery for me, and I woke up the next day with minimal soreness. In the future, I would like to continue this activity because it targeted some of my goals for this class and was a fun activity to do in a group. Kickboxing is an excellent exercise for building strength, flexibility, and stamina (all of which are key components used daily in dance class).
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Journal Week 6:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the sixth week of classes, we had our first Practical Exam. During class, we worked on learning the anatomy of our shoulders. I experienced the difference between sinking into my shoulder blades as opposed to pushing the floor, activating my shoulders, and expanding my back. This was a new feeling, because I realized I have been sinking into my arms and arching my back rather than engaging my muscles. I was focusing on maintaining a micro-bend in my elbows and not giving into my hyper extension. This allowed me to feel supported in my back, and I started to feel the muscles underneath my armpits as I pushed the ground away. We also experimented with creating a neutral spine on the ground and engaging the transversus abdominis while not lifting the lumbar spine off the ground. We worked with partners to help locate the boundary point to where we could no longer hold our neutral spine. I had to work to start without a posterior tilt on the hips before starting. This felt unnatural to me but releasing my butt into the ground was helpful to begin in the proper position. I enjoyed the imagery of having a smiley face running across the bottom of my torso where my abdominals were working. The suggestion of pressing my naval into my spine was also helpful in establishing a neutral position from the start. My core got a good workout from this exploration. Another concept we worked on was our head tail connection during the X warmup. We worked in partners to help us find the extended position where our shoulders aren’t going into a twist, but rather staying in line with our spine as we imagine wrapping our bodies around a tree. I was letting my neck get out of my spinal line which was causing some twist action in my upper body, but when I fixed this, I was able to find more extension. Bringing the position back to turtle after that extension was a challenge, but it was helpful to think of that head tail connection being the driving force. I felt a different stretch when using the proper alignment, and I discovered how to efficiently use body connections to move quickly. Lastly, we worked on the concept of performing for peers. I experienced a stronger connection to my performance when I had an inner monologue for the intentions I had while dancing. Thinking about my performance as a solo that I have control over, even though we performed in small groups. We also did a mini choreography exercise with the piece we’ve been learning. It was fun to think of new ways the choreography could be modified to make something new. 2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was performing a whole Modern choreographic piece. This was my first modern Practical since coming to college, so I was not sure what to expect. I also had a Jazz Practical this week, so some topics of overlap were the idea of confidence and intent behind movement. We worked on adding some personal touch to our dancing, and I felt that this elevated my performance during both exams. Dance is a performance art, so learning more about artistic expression can be useful as I continue to perform in lengthy shows and concerts. Another connection to another class was from Intro to Dance. We began our unit about Modern dance. This includes learning about the most influential choreographers and their individual techniques. Learning about, and then performing
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in the style of these forerunners has been directly applied to how I approach the fusion of style we use in Modern 2. We use a mixture of techniques that have evolved over the years since Isadora Duncan’s time in the late 19th century. Modern dance is a broad term that isn’t as easily
defined to an era or specific movement style as something like ballet, so having the academic knowledge to back up my artistic performance makes me more committed to the variety of movements that are at my disposal. In Jazz 1 this week we have been focusing on our core and
methods for stabilizing our backs. That has been a big topic in Modern this week as well, so it has been helpful to have that idea reinforced several times throughout my schedule. Many similar suggestions and concepts were taught, but I enjoyed the multiple approaches and perspectives. We took a more Pilates approach in Jazz, and a more anatomical approach in Modern. Combining what we practiced in both classes has made this week beneficial in strengthening my core. I’ve had a lot of back pain over the years, and I finally feel that I’m learning the proper ways to exercise while protecting myself (and getting a stronger core). An area of newness this week was learning the names of the individual abdominal muscles that perform specific functions. I always considered my core to just be the “six pack” region. I’m now aware of the sides, front, and back abdominals that help twist, contract, and balance my body. An area of familiarity this week was when we were working on keeping the neutral spine on the ground. We have been working on spinal alignment for the past couple weeks in class, and we’ve been adding on to how we can more efficiently find that alignment (and integrating that into choreography). 3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work on artistic expression and performance quality. This is something I have been working on for the whole semester so far, and I will continue to improve as we progress. Confidence has been key to achieving this goal. Knowing where I am going and what step comes next has allowed me to work on adding in details that make the performance my own. We’ve been working for several weeks on this choreography, and I now have one shot to show all the work that I’ve put into the performance. I did not want to
hold back now but take this opportunity to dance to my fullest. I often get nervous about performances, but I just have to remember that we’re all there to improve and support one another. Another goal related to this course is applying the information we are learning in our weekly readings to class. This week we are delving into the core and how there are several muscles that are present throughout the body that support all dance movements. Being knowledgeable about my body is something I have been interested in learning in the past, and I’m glad that I am learning more about the form and function of different muscle groups. This has helped me learn about how to be more efficient and protect my body for a long time. The readings offer suggestions for exercises to work at home, and ways of approaching dancing in class. By incorporating that information in class, I am learning more and more. To achieve this goal, I have to be disciplined in doing the readings early so that I have a long time to sit and work on what was presented in the text. Another goal for this week was learning from my peers. This Practical Exam was an excellent learning opportunity for me as a performer and viewer. I worked to intently watch my peers as they performed, because you can learn just as much from watching as you can from doing. I learned things from them that can make me a better
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performer, and it allowed me to find things that I want to build from. To achieve this goal, I was a
respectful and supportive viewer. I paid attention to them as they danced and discussed with them after the performance. I love watching my peers dance, so this goal has been fun and informational. Lastly, one of my goals this week was accessing the parts of my abdominals that I
wasn’t aware were being engaged while I dance. Using that and applying it to our Practical this week was something I used to find stability and fluidity in my performance. I attended to this by working through several in-class exercises when I was alone so that I could go at my own pace. 4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
One exercise that I want to discuss this week was the neutral spine limit exercise on the floor. Specifically, when working with a partner, I was able to explore what my personal maximum is for supporting my lumbar spine and engaging my core. We start with our legs straight up, pelvis not in a posterior tilt, tailbone dropped, and lumbar spine flat against the partner's hand (or the floor when I’m alone). Taking an exhale to lower my legs to the point where I get the “shakes” and can no longer lower my legs without breaking the physical barrier between the ground/hand
and my back. Then taking a deep inhale as I raise my legs back to neutral while maintaining a neutral pelvis. I was trying to visualize a flat surface that was unphased by any movement in the
lower body. I felt all parts of the core engaging as my navel was tucked and my sides were engaged. The longer I held the angled position, the more intense the workout was. I will continue to work on this exercise so that I can work towards prolonging the length so that I can support my neutral spine and engage the core. I want to investigate further the relationship between spinal alignment and the core muscles. They are intertwined with one another. I want to learn what my limit is, and work towards exceeding that as I gain strength. 5
. Cross Training Log:
S.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
T.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
S.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to continue with my cycling classes. This
included attending a group class at the Johnson Gym, and a workout by myself on the stationary bikes in the gym. The group class was held on Tuesday night from 7-8 PM. I had my solo workout on Wednesday morning at 1 PM after my classes. T.
This week I decided to continue with the progress I’ve made in my cycling classes. I took
a week off from them last week to participate in a 5K run/walk, so I wanted to get back into it. My first session was on Tuesday night at the Johnson Gym from 7-8 PM. My second session was on Wednesday afternoon at 1 PM at the Alumni Gym for 30 min. During the first group workout class I felt stronger than I had anticipated. I thought that I
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would’ve lost some of the strength that I was gaining over the previous couple of weeks due to my week off, but I felt stronger than before. My running/walking last week must’ve
been beneficial in strengthening similar muscles, and it helped build cardiovascular stamina which is used in cycling. This class was taught by a different instructor than I had worked with before, so I was exposed to new exercises. We worked on core arm toning. By the end of the class, I was losing steam, but I felt better than I usually do. I was keeping up with the instructor and taking fewer breaks in between. After the activity I felt some soreness in my legs and abdominals. I also felt some pain in my lower back, which is probably due to me arching my back when my core muscles were fatigued. In the future I plan to work on that so that I can protect my body. During my solo workout I was gentler on my body so that I could recover from the previous day. I worked on correcting my form and focusing on the small details of the exercises. This was a more relaxing session, so by the end I felt energized and less sore. I still took a hot shower afterwards to reduce any muscle inflammation and sooth the body parts that were targeted heavily. Continuing with this cross-training exercise supports my personal goal of toning my legs and abdominal muscles. It also improved my longevity for cardio. I have been feeling stronger with every class and I’ve seen improvements in my daily life from dance class to walking across campus. I don’t get out of breath nearly as easily anymore. Toning my muscles and strengthening them relates to my dance practices, because we are discussing the importance of core strength currently in class. By working on strengthening my core I can support my spine while dancing and engage more muscles. So much of dance comes from the strength of our muscles and their ability to contract for a particular motion, so I feel I’m able to be more mobile in class. Dance is also a locomotive activity that requires stamina. Cycling has been helping me improve stamina, and I’ve seen direct reflection in performing longer choreographic phrases and combinations in class. Next week I plan to continue cycling, and maybe incorporating a kick boxing class with some friends.
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Journal Week 5:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the fifth week of classes, we had two guest teachers. This week we began with Susie teaching. We worked on being grounded from our pelvic floor and core. We practiced
passing an “energy orb” around to one another and feeling our bodies rooted to the ground. We used a lot of imagery that was helpful for me to imagine myself carrying energy in my hands. We discussed connecting all our limbs as one unit and using our head throughout the movement rather than just at the end. We pretended that we had paint on our head and that we were trying to spread it across the floor as if we were making a snow angel. We worked on using verbal breath throughout the warmup exercises. This helped me with fluidity and forced me to breathe (because I hold my breath when the combinations are quick). This also helped me deepen my movements. We worked on leg swings where we pretended to have a rubber band connecting our fingers and toes together. This made the whole body one and created collective movements instead of choppy sections. We went across the floor working on our head
tail connection and using sequential movements. We worked on new steps that I had never done before including one handed inversion. Although these steps were new, they were fun to try. It took time to get the hang of the combination, but getting physical feedback and corrections
was helpful. A lot of class time this week was dedicated to refining our upcoming Practical choreography. We worked in small groups on our choreography and talked through any questions we’ve had as a group. I was specifically working on using my breath to guide the phrasing since there aren’t any counts to go off. I found moments of clarity by talking with my peers and I’m starting to make the choreography my own. In the second class we worked on learning choreographic phrases that used the entire space. We have a small class, so we can travel and take large steps. We worked a lot on release technique specifically by releasing our heads. I felt grounded with this technique, and it was a new style that I haven’t worked with a lot. For our Practical practice, Janie gave us tips on performance quality including adding focus and intent behind the movements rather than just doing the steps. She helped us break down moments that we seemed collectively unsure of as a group, and it was helpful for me to have an
outside perspective provide feedback.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was working with new instructors. I haven’t had modern technique from either of our guest teachers, so I was learning different ways that vocabulary was used and new ways of teaching/modern styles (there are a lot of different ones).
Every teacher provides new ways for me to approach similar concepts, so I enjoyed having a variety of perspectives this week. On the first session we did some improvisation for warm up. This was an area of familiarity for me because I took Improvisation last fall. Thinking on the spot
can be scary but I am becoming more comfortable with it as I practice more. Another connection
that I made from this week’s classes was something that tied into Choreography 1 last
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semester. In one across-the-floor exercise, we played with sequential vs successive movements. In choreography 1 last semester, we had similar explorations during our force unit. We learned about how they can make a significant difference in movement quality. In both classes, I was able to play with the similarities and differences and make choices about what felt
right for the movement. Another connection to a previous class that I made was from Teaching Methods. When we were going through the exercise using verbal breath cues, I was reminded of the different ways that students learn through verbal, visual, or kinesthetic tools. This verbal tool was helpful for me in this combination, and I can see the applications more to modern class in the future. An area of newness for me this week was during the second guest teacher class. We did a lot of groundwork and rolling around that pushed me to move quickly and fluidly. My body has a lot of inertia in the morning so it’s hard for me to get up and down quickly, so I used my core strength to help me keep up and use levels effectively.
3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to adapt to new combinations taught by new teachers. Being comfortable with whatever was thrown my way, even if it was a new method to try or a new step to practice. I attended to this by paying close attention to what the teachers were saying and suggesting, because the more opinions and perspectives that I have, the stronger I can become. I tried to not stress about all the technicalities but take risks and push my boundaries. Another one of my goals for this week was to work on moving freely and connecting my head to my body. I tend to think of my head being last in a movement which leads to tension and stress in my neck. By using my imagination and imagery I thought of ways of relaxing into the movements. I actively tried to feel my weight being released into the ground. For our individual work sessions of our choreography, I had the goal of gaining confidence and focusing on the transitions between sections. To do this I repeated certain sections repeatedly, flowing between them. If there was a bump somewhere, I tried to iron it out by going over it several times without stopping. Our warmup of grounding our bodies was helpful in relaxing into the choreography, so I was able to make progress on my performance quality. One goal for the second class this week was releasing the tension in my neck so that I could move seamlessly through the combination. We were moving quickly through combinations, so I was trying to learn
the movements and incorporate the release techniques that we used in warm up.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
One exercise that I enjoyed doing this week was the energy orb exercise with Susie on Monday.
Having an imaginary ball around my center helped me visualize the energy that I was pushing into the ground. We started by rubbing out hands together and creating heat that would expand into a ball that we could carry and move freely with our pelvis. We worked on differentiating between initiating from the pelvic floor and the core. We were standing in a circle, so we
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practiced improvisation using passing our imaginary energy ball around to one another. This allowed me to create movement on the spot, and key into the use of imagination and creativity. The goal was to feel how we could be grounded, because so much of modern dance is related to the connection to the floor. When I practiced this at home for the second time, I started to make a stronger connection and I was able to locomote while still carrying that idea of being grounded. The second part of the exercise was for individuals to go to the center of the circle and work on initiating their energy from different parts of the body. This could be from the foot, the shoulder, the head, etc. I have done an activity like this before, but adding the element of the energy ball helped me stay focused on what my intention was for the movement. This ended
up being a great warmup for us to do, and I will continue to use this to root myself into the ground and get into the feelings I need for modern dance. 5
. Cross Training Log:
U.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
V.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
U.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to switch up my activity from cycling. An opportunity came up for me to run/walk a 5K on Tuesday night through Masterson Station Park with some family. This is planned to begin at 6 pm and last an hour. V.
This week I decided to switch to running/walking for my cross-training exercise. I went to
Masterson Station Park on Tuesday from 6-7 pm. This was my first time participating in a 5K, but I felt comfortable knowing I had the option to walk. During the event I felt pretty
good. I started with a light, consistent jog for the first mile. After that I reduced my speed to a walk since I was getting fatigued and had started getting shin splints. With the motivation of friends and family, I continued. After the second mile my body was feeling better, and I was getting into the groove. The last half mile of the 5K, I decided to sprint to the end. I realized I am better at running short distances quickly than long distances slowly. My recovery from this event included icing my shins and taking a hot bath. I had some tightness in my quads and the arches of my feet were cramped. This activity is helping me accomplish my goal of improving cardiovascular stamina and building core strength. I could see myself working more on running because I enjoyed being outside in
nature. Overall, I enjoyed the discipline that this required from me and was fun to do with
friends. It was nice to get out of the studio/gym and exercise. Next week I will try to resume my cycling class, but I would also like to incorporate some running outside around campus. Building up my stamina is helpful as we begin to learn longer choreographic works that require me to use my strength for a long period of time.
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Journal Week 4:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the fourth week of classes, one major concept that we discussed was the idea of balancing on one foot with our eyes closed. When we were performing this exercise, I felt like I was just floating in space. When I intentionally thought about the weight distribution between my toes, I felt a stronger connection to the floor. I tended to arch my back causing my balance to shift back, but when we worked with partners, I could feel the difference between being aligned and not when I couldn’t use the mirror. This was difficult for me but also exciting to
try. The hardest position was extending my leg back and recovering without having a spot to look at on the floor or mirror. The side tilt was also challenging at first, but it felt more stable after a couple tries. We also discussed the use of our head-tail connection through these classes. Finding the connection through warmup exercises helped me easily translate that concept into the choreography we are learning. That connection allows the body to move fluidly from position to position. When I was paying attention to this connection, I felt my body move as
a solid unit. We worked on articulating through the spine and using our core muscles to help with that. Also, this week we finished learning the short piece for our practical exam. We discussed the use of personal phrasing and moments of breath. We discussed how we can transition from section to section fluidly. Another major concept that we worked on was the use of phrasing and feeling the music instead of using traditional counts. For our choreography, the tempo and energy changes throughout and we must plan to where we are going next so that we
don’t pause and fall behind. For me, this allowed for greater fluidity throughout the whole piece (as opposed to a stepwise style in which we learned it overtime). By working in pairs and watching the two videos, I could pick up on details that I want to enhance or add to my own performance so that I can take up the whole space when I am alone.
2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? An area of newness for me this week was working on balancing with my eyes closed (and performing a combination like that). In both jazz and modern classes this week, we worked extensively on our balance. Focusing on the idea of oppositional forces driving us into the floor and up to the ceiling. Having a strong supporting leg is useful in all genres of dance and trains our abdominal muscles. This idea of body awareness is helpful in longer choreographic phrases and in building strength. I’ve been making connections in all my dance classes to how artistry plays a key role. Being confident in yourself and paying attention to technique is make makes a strong overall dancer. Certain types of physical training are good for
all forms of dance, and it’s why we work certain muscles and body parts in all classes. Also, I’ve
been making connections between this class and jazz class because I’m learning the importance of conditioning our bodies in forms that we aren’t doing as frequently. I love to stretch, but in both classes I need to be stronger. This notifies me to areas where I should target
outside of class.
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3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class this week was to work confidently performing the warmup exercises. This means learning the combinations/remembering the ones we have been adding on to and performing them without apprehension. Knowing the next step or movement frees my mind to think deeper about how I can perform them fully. This has allowed me to work on alignment and strength while I perform the exercises. To achieve this goal, I review combinations in my head outside of class and right before we do them in class, as well as counting in my head and thinking ahead to the next step before it comes. Another goal for this class this week was to get the new practical choreography into my body and add artistic details as we prepare to perform this piece. To make sure that I was confident with the sequences, I spent time reviewing it with a friend. In class, I watched my peers and noticed things that I enjoyed watching them do that I could use to make my performance more exciting. I want to exceed the monotonicity of just moving through the steps. This is a piece with feeling and moments of accent. Repetition has helped me attend to this goal. I’m finding out what I like doing and what isn’t working for me. Using the mirror and the people around me, I have found small adjustments that can make this piece more my own. Also, asking questions to gain clarification has been helpful in achieving this goal. This tactic has also improved my confidence
which is a goal I plan to work towards for the entirety of the semester. This week one of my goals continues to be working on stacking my rib cage on top of my hips when applicable. I still am struggling to find the neutral spine that I need for certain sequences, and it throws my balance off. I’m attending to this goal by paying attention to my stance in the mirror and noting how I feel when I’m in proper alignment. Also, I want to work on fluidity of movements as I profess through a sequence. Making a series of steps come to life through a piece. Our first Practical exam is coming up, and I want to improve on that before that comes. This requires rehearsing by me and reviewing choreography. This also means paying attention to details in class and practicing over and over.
4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
One exercise that I want to investigate this week is the developpé exercise with our eyes closed. As I did this alone in my room I was forced to focus heavily on my supporting leg and the alignment of my hips. Any slight shift in alignment seemed to be amplified if I couldn’t see. I also felt a rocking sensation between my pinkie and big toe that contributed to feeling unsteady. I was curious why balancing becomes such a challenge when you can’t see, and I realized how much information our eyes provide to our body. Our bodies have an awareness system that connects all parts of our body, and our eyes keep track of our orientation. Without our eyes, our brain is almost lagging when there are changes in balance. In my exploration of this exercise outside of class I found that developpés to the front came the easiest. I felt more overall balance
in that stance compared to the side and back. I also noticed how using the turned in positions was significantly easier for me to balance in. I think this has to do with feeling closer to my center of mass. The hardest positions were back and side tilt. The back requires the torso to go from vertical to a flat back that returns to vertical. When my eyes were closed, I had trouble identifying when I was in a true flat back or if I had gone too far. Finding my center of balance
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after that was challenging, but I found it helpful to imagine a string pulling my head towards the ceiling. The side tilt required me to change the alignment of my hips, so I had to practice using my oppositional energy to counteract that change. This was an interesting study, and it has helped me find my body awareness without the mirror and improved the strength in my core/legs. 5
. Cross Training Log:
W.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
X.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
W.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to attend another cycling class at the Johnson Gym. I planned to take one class this week: Tuesday from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. I
also planned to go to the Johnson Gym on Wednesday morning and ride the stationary bikes alone. X.
This week I continued my cross-training exercise of cycling. I was a little sore from last week, but it helped to have expectations for the pace of the class. I attended the Johnson Center group cycle class for roughly an hour on Tuesday from 5:30-6:30. This was my second class, and I already felt that I was performing the warmup better. I did not have the same level of fatigue that I did last week after the first part of class. This class used a lot of the same exercises from last week, so I was able to follow along better since I knew what was coming next. I made note of those exercises, so that when I went back the next day by myself, I would have a pre-set warm up. After these two days of cross-training, I felt my legs getting tighter, so I had to massage them after each workout. This activity is helping me accomplish my goal of improving cardiovascular stamina and building core strength. It is also improving my core strength due to the stability that is required for the movements. Overall, the second week went better than
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the first, and I can see this fitting into my weekly routine in the future. This form of exercise has been fun to do and has targeted my body in places that are overlooked in dance class. Next week I will try to follow the same schedule for the cycling class, but I would also like to incorporate a stretching/yoga session to stretch the muscles that are sore. In my dance classes, having strong core and leg muscles are crucial in performing certain exercises and combinations.
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Journal Week 3:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the third week of classes, we had only one in-class session due to Labor Day. In this class we continued refining the warmup exercises that we have learned thus far, as well as adding in new arms, heads, etc. As we build upon our exercises, I have started to feel my body become more in synch. I’m starting to feel more like a singular unit moving through space, rather than a set of arms and legs trying to work together. We also worked a lot on our body spiral. We utilized this during warmup as well as in the new choreography we are learning.
When we did this exercise with a partner, I felt a deeper stretch as my partner held down my hip. Also, we continued to work on our head-tail connection. This has been helpful in the new choreography because it allows for more seamless level changes from the ground. We discussed the use of physical touch during corrections. I learned that it is a skill to be the corrector and the one taking the correction. Being comfortable using touch is helpful, and I find it
beneficial to be corrected with touch. 2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? In Jazz class this week, Anna has been stressing the importance of the fundamentals of the style. We were breaking down every muscle and bone that was involved in certain movements, so that we got into the habit of being technical dancers (and not brushing through steps that are thought of as “easy”). This corresponded to moments in Modern where we would slowly walk through each step to focus on the small details. I discovered in both classes that I was being sloppy with some transitions and smaller steps, but breaking things down section by section was a new approach that has helped me feel stronger already. This process and method of teaching can be useful to me because it highlights the importance of all steps. To make a full piece, I need to perform all steps well from beginning to end rather than just the exciting tricks. This week, I have also been making the connection of using my whole body when I dance. I’ve noticed that I can focus on one part of my body and ignore the others, but dancing feels more cohesive when I approach it from an overall view. This feels more natural to me. Lastly, we worked on some new choreography that felt new in my body. I had to adapt to a new way of moving in time, as well as picking up on the quick footwork. Trying new things/being willing to take risks has been useful in this class, and I look forward to finishing this choreography and adding to my artistry. 3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
One of my goals for this class has been to work on meshing my modern technique with some artistry as well. As we have been learning more choreography for our upcoming practical exam, I have been focusing on the phrasing, musicality, and learning the steps in general. Making individualistic choices that make my dancing different than other people, while continuing to maintain proper technique. Another of my goals for this class is to work on being more grounded. Modern dance is typically more grounded than other styles I have studied. I’m attending to this goal by maintaining an intention to keep my heels down, as though they were magnets on a fridge. I’m working on lifting, but doing it with resistance, which maintains the
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connection downwards. Focusing on my connection to the floor, and how I can always keep some part of me connected to it. Also, I will continue to work on improving my alignment, specifically as we discuss the spine. Locating the regions of the spine has been helpful in targeting specific areas during exercises. I am attending to this by using my use of touch to physically feel the bones. 4
. Movement Review:
Choose one specific exercise or phrase from class that you'd like to investigate/ understand better. Practice what you remember at home. Describe it as thoroughly as you can in your own words/images/drawing/diagrams etc.
I will describe the developpé exercise that we have been working on. From the very beginning, I imagine that I am a rooted tree; both reaching into the earth and lifting out of the ground. I am thinking about keeping my arms supported and full of energy just as my working leg is. As my working leg developpés, I keep my supporting leg rooted and my core engaged. As we go to the
back, when we plié in the lateral position, I am thinking about reaching towards someone across
from me and re-stacking my shoulders as I recover. In the tilted side position, I focus on moving my pelvis as a singular object and extending my leg before recovering. Using my hip bones as a
way of monitoring my alignment, I can see if I’m twisting or moving them out of place. Throughout the exercise I am thinking about both of my legs simultaneously as well as my arms.
At the end of the exercise, during the roll down and contraction, I am locating my head-tail connection and thinking about the alignment of my spine. This is a great stability exercise that has built strength in my core and legs. 5
. Cross Training Log:
Y.
Describe your initial plan for out of class/ cross training activity: Include activity and intended times/venues.
Z.
Reflect upon your actual experience. What activity did you engage in? Where/When? for how long? How did you feel during and after the activity? Which of
your
specific goals
does this activity support? How can this relate to and support
your
dance practice?
Y.
My initial plan for my cross-training activity was to take a cycling class at the Johnson Gym. I planned to take one class this week: Tuesday from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. Z.
This week I began my cross-training exercise of cycling. I was apprehensive about starting a new activity in a group setting, but it helped to have a friend with me for support. I attended the Johnson Center group cycle class for roughly an hour on Tuesday from 5:30-6:30. I found myself getting fatigued quickly in the class compared to other people. Some of the muscles that I was working on had not been used much in a while, so there was some weakness there that was coupled with soreness the next day. I
especially felt pain in my butt, and I think the seats of those bikes take some getting used to. After my first class I had picked up on some exercises I could use when I work out alone in the future. This activity is helping me accomplish my goal of improving cardiovascular stamina and building core strength. I also want to work on my upper body
strength, and cycling can support that goal. Overall, the first week went well. This form of
exercise has been fun to do and has targeted my body in places that are overlooked in dance class. Next week I will try to follow the same schedule (or try a workout alone), and hopefully I can continue to see improvements.
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Journal Week 2:
1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the second week of classes, we worked on our head tail connection. This caused me to engage my core and work my muscles. In our warmup exercise in the wide X position, we worked on our turtle shape to model that connection. I noticed that when I had both my shoulders and tailbone off the ground, I could really feel my core engaging. Another focus point of combinations in class was the act of body spirals that initiate from different body parts. When using the leg to initiate a spiral on the ground, I felt my ribs starting to open instead of staying in line. As soon as I felt them close, I could perform the spiral to a fuller extent. I focused
on keeping the opposition between my spine and other body parts. This theme came back when
learning our practical choreography. When rolling to the ground I noticed how the spiral was being utilized. We also worked on locating our sit bones and deep-external rotators. By visualizing with Mr. Bones, and the use of touch, I could feel where my rotation should be coming from. This can be used in developpés as well as tendus. I felt the difference between rotating from the proper areas as opposed to the forced turnout I am used to. In our readings, we discussed the connection between posture and structure that carried throughout the combinations in class. 2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you? This week in modern class I noticed some corresponding moments from jazz class. We talked about the importance of using our personal turnout, and not forcing our positions and overpronating our feet. I’m trying to focus on body preservation instead of being picture perfect. In both classes we also worked on spiraling our spine. This felt familiar because we had worked on this during the first week of class. An area of newness from this week was the idea of being off our center and taking risks. In the combination we are learning in modern, we practiced falling backwards which was scary at first. We worked with partners being there to catch us if needed, but I was able to trust myself and know my threshold of safety. In Intro to Dance this week, we worked on learning a traditional Irish Social Dance. There is a moment in our modern choreography that pays homage to an Irish dance, so I connected those two experiences. We also worked on discussing qualities of dances that could be applied to our modern classes. There isn’t always a codified word for every movement in modern dance, so being able to understand verbs and adjectives has been beneficial to me and will continue to help me learn the technique. 3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending them?
I have a goal of strengthening my core throughout this course. This week I started going to the gym on campus and performing a series of abdominal exercises. I did this three times this week, and although I feel sore, I know that I am getting stronger. Another goal I am working on is focusing on keeping a neutral spine when asked. I have been utilizing the mirrors in class to help me achieve that goal. When I see my back become arched, or my ribs start to open, I make
a conscious effort to correct it myself. Lastly, for this week I had a personal goal of obtaining new choreography and combinations that we learn in class. Coming off summer break makes it
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hard to retain choreography, so I tried to review sequences, choreography, and combinations on
days where we were not in class. 4. This week I couldn’t begin my cross-training exercise, but I have made a plan for myself to follow next week or so. I have decided to take cycling classes at the Johnson Gym. I plan to take one class per week; Wednesday from 5:30 PM - 6:15 PM. Additionally, once a week on Friday I will go to the Johnson gym and ride the stationary bikes without an instructor (roughly a 15-30 min session). I decided on cycling because it will increase my cardiovascular health, improve joint mobility, improve my posture, and I think it’ll just be fun to try. Having a group class will keep me motivated to perform well and keep up. I am a beginner when it comes to cycling so having the instructor there will be helpful in learning proper technique and exercises. Once I have a foundation, it will be easier to efficiently work on my cycling by myself. I plan to take a friend with me as well, so I feel more comfortable. Journal Week 1: 1.What major concepts were discussed or experienced in class? What physical sensations did you experience? In the first week of classes, we worked on proper alignment of the body. We worked on stacking our hips and shoulders in a straight line while balancing on our sides. This activity allowed me to discover my tendency to open my ribcage and arch my back. Through the
instructor’s feedback, I was able to feel the difference between a straight, flexed, and extended position. Having proper alignment removed strain on my lower back and neck. We also worked on feeling confident in ourselves; “have it in you, not on you”. We discussed the head-tail connection through use of floor work, and the importance of engaging the core to support movement. There was a focus on holding the core as we dance and do floor work. Holding the core removes stress from the neck and other areas. I felt fatigue in my abdominal muscles at the end of the week, but that means I needed strength training. Another major concept was the idea of initiating with breath and rolling through our spine. This allowed me to feel individual ribs/vertebrates as I moved from position to position. I also had my attention drawn to my diaphragm as I danced. We started working on heel rocks with and without a partner. I felt some
tension at first, but after working in groups I was able to release into the movement and feel the opposition. Finally, when we worked on a combination of 7 counts, I was initially thrown off, but I
could feel the wheels in my brain turning. 2.Consider areas of familiarity/newness. Have any topics we’ve covered corresponded with moments in another class or activity? What connections are you making and how can this be useful to you?
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The concepts of engaging the core while dancing and avoiding sitting into hyperextension have been discussed recently in my ballet/jazz classes. We have been utilizing the mirrors to check alignment of the whole body. Another concept that came up in modern class was the use of energy throughout the body. In jazz class, we had corresponding discussions about energy in our fingers and eyes. Also, in modern class we discussed the importance of learning and performing correct alignment. In jazz class we are doing a similar activity where we use partners
to watch and give feedback. Protecting the body and ensuring it can perform at a high level for a long time is important for all
dancers. Through engaging the core I am able to support my back muscles better and avoid strain on other parts of my body. Protecting my knees by not sitting into my hyperextension has been useful to me, because it causes less pain after long classes. Utilizing the element of energy and force has been useful to me for expanding on my artistic quality. 3. What are your individual goals related to this course, and how are you attending to them?
One goal for myself throughout this course is to work on correcting body alignment. I’ve had years of training that has allowed my incorrect alignment to go unchecked, so I will actively be working to correct myself and break out of old habits. Mindfully thinking about what I am doing can help me attend to this goal (as well as using our mirrors). Specifically, I hope to lessen the natural arch in my back and strengthen my core. Another goal I have for this class is to take risks and allow myself to feel new sensations that could be scary at first. I want to become a more well-rounded dancer and learning new genres is crucial. To attend to this, I am going to try
to push myself in every class and avoid comparing my progress to those around me. 4. A) Please share about your prior experience with modern dance and/or other dance or athletic training. What brings you to this course? What are you hoping to learn or deepen? I trained primarily in ballet for most of my dance career, but I was exposed to other styles of dance (including modern and jazz) through classes at my Creative Arts High School. On rotating weeks, I was able to take a modern class in the Horton technique primarily and taught combinations and dances for the end-of-year performance. Through the GSA program I was lucky enough to train with Theresa Bautista in modern dance classes everyday for 3 weeks. She
taught a variety of modern techniques that were new to me, and allowed me to gain a basic level of familiarity and comfortability with the movement styles. I was brought to this course, specifically at the second level, because I want to expand upon what I already know about modern dance form and theory. I strive to learn about the anatomical aspects of modern dance shapes and movements styles, whilst expanding on my artistic confidence and proficiency in the
style. I’m hoping to also deepen my knowledge on the influences of specific choreographers to the current modern dance style. B) What kind of non-dance physical activities do you enjoy? Are there any activities you would like to try? Brainstorm possible cross training options you would be willing to explore this semester. For example: yoga, Pilates, weight training, spinning, swimming, climbing, jogging, hiking, boxing, etc. Some non-dance physical activities that I enjoy are swimming, biking, running, pilates, and yoga. This semester some possible cross-training options I’d like to enjoy
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include: kickboxing, weight training, and hiking. I took an introductory class in kickboxing last semester and had a lot of fun. I’m interested in weight training so that I can improve upper body strength. Hiking is interesting to me, because it would allow me to get outdoors and explore the nature around the local Lexington area (and not staying cooped up in my room all day).
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